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‘Forsaken Lives”

I can just imagine the horrified reaction of the Catholic priests and Manangs if they were at last Tuesday’s Bulung-Pulungan at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

Guests were Melissa Uppreti, senior regional manager and legal adviser for Asia of the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights and Dr. Florence Tadiar of the Institute of Social Studies and Action. The topic was “Forsaken Lives,” a study conducted by CRR in the Philippines on the impact of the abortion ban.

As well all know, abortion is a crime under the Revised Penal Code. There are exceptions. But as the study showed, “there is a lack of clarity regarding the circumstances under which an abortion may be legally performed or be considered legally justifiable.”

As a result, the study showed “Women in the Philippines continue to die or suffer grave complications from unsafe abortion procedures, producing a massive and unnecessary public health crisis and violating the fundamental rights of Filipino women.

The study also showed that despite the ban, in 2008 alone, an estimated 560,000 induced abortions took place in the Philippines; 90,000 women sought treatment for complications and 1,000 women died.”

One of the cases they documented was that of Maricel, an 18-year- old mother and daughter of an overseas domestic helper. Wanting to also earn good money that her mother brings home, she applied for work abroad and was accepted. Then she found out she was pregnant again. She was dismayed because she thought breastfeeding her first child protected her from becoming pregnant.

Desperate, Maricel tried abortion several times. First she took the drug misoprostol. After two weeks of not experiencing bleeding, she went to a hilot. It was not effective.

A neighbor directed Maricel to a woman who performs abortion by “catherization” – inserting a catheter into a woman’s uterus. For two weeks following catherization, she had vaginal bleeding. Despite having fever, she delayed going to the hospital because she was scared of telling others she had had an abortion.

When she finally sought medical attention at the Fabella Memorial Hospital, it was too late. Maricel died on the operating table as a result of the sepsis caused by the unsafe abortion.

CRC said the criminalization of abortion in the Philippines not only violates women’s human rights by denying them access to safe and legal abortion, it has also given rise to a separate set of abuses in the context of post-abortion care, which is legal and in many instances constitutes a form of life-saving care. It said there is an urgent need for legal reform and accountability measures to put an end to the impunity with which women’s human rights are being violated as a result of the criminal ban.

CRC has a long list of recommendations to both government and private sector groups. They include recommendations to amend the Revised Penal Code to lift criminal sanctions on abortion at a minimum in the following circumstances: when life and health (physical and mental) of the woman are in jeopardy, when the pregnancy is a result of rape and incest; and in cases of fetal impairment.

It also asked the Department of Health and the Department of Justice to issue regulations clarifying the existing legal and medical grounds on which abortion may be permitted citing the same circumstances contained in their recommendation to Congress.

CRC also recommended that Congress support the formulation and adoption of laws that permit abortion in certain circumstances. Such laws, the group said, should be drafted in accordance with the government’s international human rights obligations and the fundamental rights of women guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution.

CRC also asked Congress to authorize increased funding for women’s reproductive health programs, especially post-abortion care and contraceptive access.

I understand where CRC is coming from and their advocacy of giving women free choice. But abortion is a very sensitive subject that even liberals among Catholics could not take so easily.

I wish them luck.

Published inHealth

24 Comments

  1. Oblak Oblak

    Kahit ano pa ang kadahilanan, tutol ako sa abortion.

  2. vic vic

    statistic has shown (in our case) that when abortion on demand is available, abortion procedures declines and so far we have not heard a single casualty.

    but abortion alone is not enough..educational campaign and if possible a good portion of national budget be allocated to this program will go a long way for providing a safe a healthy motherhood.

  3. perl perl

    The study also showed that despite the ban, in 2008 alone, an estimated 560,000 induced abortions took place in the Philippines; Pano sila nakakuha ng ganitong statics kung naka-ban nga?

  4. perl perl

    kung ang istorya lang ni Maricel ang pagbabasihan, hindi maganda katwiran para payagan ang abortion…

    when life and health (physical and mental) of the woman are in jeopardy eto, pwde pang dahilan.. ngyayari na nga ata ngayon ‘to…

    when the pregnancy is a result of rape and incest eto hindi dapat… may ibang solusyon naman gaya ng ipaampon kung talgang ayaw ng ina..

    and in cases of fetal impairment. hindi din… may mga tao naman may kakulangan pisikal pero maganda ang tingin sa buhay…

  5. Lurker Lurker

    I think that it’s only the poor who have no access to safe abortion. The rich can always go abroad (HK, Singapore, etc.) where abortion is legal, therefore medically safe. Or else, they can have themselves admitted to a hospital where the procedure can be done “quietly, discreetly and safely.”

    As usual, it’s the poor who suffer the most.

  6. norpil norpil

    sexual education specially for the young ones ought to be part of school curriculum.education in pinas is dictated by the church and its norms.but who will go against church teaching in pinas i wonder.

  7. sychitpin sychitpin

    in advance and powerful countries like USA and China, abortion is legal. I can’t find logic in prohibiting abortion while allowing innocent children to live like hell due to poverty, drug addiction, broken homes, exploitation and disabilities.
    Phil is the only catholic country in Asia, yet why is Phil the most corrupt and also one of the most backward?

  8. The CBCP also confuses things, but this is not about the government FORCING Pinays to have an abortion. The government should NOT be allowed to force an abortion onto a woman who insists on carrying a baby to term even when her doctor says her health is at risk with pregnancy-number-12.

    BUT when the woman’s health is in jeopardy especially if the woman is an Aeta or a Chinese Buddhist or an atheist from Paranaque, it should not be a crime and the woman should be allowed to have an abortion.

  9. norpil norpil

    abortion is a crime in pinas because there is a law forbidding it.laws are supposed to protect individuals but this special law in many cases as reported has the opposite result.

  10. With regards the CBCP — the CBCP should be provided the power to prevent an abortion whenever the CBCP provides a 24-year annuity to the woman for P6,000 or more a month.

  11. Everyone should have a choice and religious biases should not dictate our laws…if a woman decides to have or not to have abortion, it should be her choice and she will have to face the “moral” and “spiritual” consequences on her own, whether doing so will forfeit her place in heaven, it must entirely depend on her choice as an individual because it concerns her body. I strongly disagree with making this decision punishable by law, punishable by conscience maybe…
    These “moral” guardians who would sooner countenance a human being suffering in pain (both physical and emotional) because of these bias and dogma are themselves guilty of a crime of indifference and insensitivity. Death does not necessarily mean the end of life, the death of one could mean a new life for the other…these hypocrites would sooner decide the deaths of both the mother and the unborn child to satisfy their lust for “control” over the “flock” when in reality the supposed “lost” souls or sheep they profess to lead to salvation are perfectly capable of charting their own destiny…

  12. rose rose

    the pronuncements of the catholic church are for the catholics only..to the catholics abortion is murder at kasalanan sa Dios..but here in New Jersey it is legal kaya na sa babae na ang decision…ang sabi nga Right of choice kaya they carry the burden kung kasalanan o hindi…ang puntos ang abortion is legal… gaya ng same sex marriage..hindi comforme ang Sibahan catholio pero dito sa New Jersey..legal ito…ano ang magagawa ng simbahan? this ia a free country…

  13. From Linda:

    We will never find peace in this world if we continue killing the unborn.

    When mothers ( whose sacred duty is to protect the life within them) kill their own, what do we expect?

    If mothers no longer value the life of their own blood, do you think others will respect the same life?

    And we are shocked when someone takes another person’s life?

    I campaign for a big NO! to Abortion.

  14. From Manny:

    We will never find peace in this world if we continue killing the unborn. When mothers ( whose sacred duty is to protect the life within them) kill their own, what do we expect? If mothers no longer value the life of their own blood, do you think others will respect the same life? And we are shocked when someone takes another person’s life? I campaign for a big NO! to Abortion.

    So very true! Peace and social justice begin in the womb. The weak are too often trampled upon and even exterminated. If we kill the weakest members of our society, what’s to keep us from having any mercy on the rest?

    Abortion is unnecessary. If the CRR is really interested in helpibng women then they should call for measures that address the root causes of the problem.

    Women turn to abortion mainly because of economic reasons, rape and incest. The solutions to poverty are minimizing graft and corruption, good governance, economic policies that cater to Filipinos instead of foreign interests, putting an end to indiscriminate debt servicing, and dismantling economic and political dynasties.

    The causes of rape and incest (aside from poverty) are the degeneration of public morals. This is addressed by pro-life and principled laws and governance, better values education, and promotion of morals and good ciizenship in media (where too often the exact opposite is promoted).

    God bless!

  15. sychitpin sychitpin

    abortion is the lesser evil, between mercy killing of the unborn who don’t feel anything yet, rather than the killing of a fully conscious child slowly, by stabbing it everyday through hunger, beatings, drug addiction, torture, humiliation, all forms of abuses and allowing it to bleed to death.

  16. Its easy to dramatize “no” to abortion…especially for those not affected…its easy to lecture or give a morally upright sermon on how someone else should lead his/her life. Addressing the root cause is the solution – everyone will agree to that, its easy to say…but what if you’re the pregnant woman who is suffering from complications (and pain)? What if you are that child born out of rape who’s life is a living hell because of your very existence? I challenge those who conveniently say no to “pro choice” to put themselves in the shoes of people who are asking for mercy to ease their pain…I challenge those who say no to get raped by a lunatic and get pregnant and live the life of a mother with a bastard child of a lunatic and smile…
    Its easy to pontificate, how in the world can you be comfortable in your indifference to the suffering of a “feeling”, “thinking”, individual and be more concerned of one who is incapable of experiencing life? As I said, let each one be responsible for his/her own salvation (or loss thereof)…

  17. Only those who have lived through pain will fully understand the position of “pro choice”, and dismissing it entirely is the height of insensitivity. We all know how to address the underlying issues (root cause again) but there is the reality of the present, so what do we so with all these women who are in the situation already, we tell them to suck it up until the root causes are being addressed? which is will be another round of debates and controversies by “moral” guardians?
    The present problems cannot be solved by “old” solutions as the conditions that were present then are not there now. Its a whole new world, we need real solutions to real issues, we have to think out of the box, and not be limited by dogma…

  18. Rudolfo Rudolfo

    ” Abortion ” is murdering an innocent baby (life-fetus)inside the womb of an expectant mother, by two ” conscious Individuals or aware of doing the crime (premeditated),the
    “abortionist and the mother “. Therefore, it is a crime to GOD ( the only author of life ) and against the ” laws of the innocent-life, right to live “, or the early termination (killing) of an ” angelic-baby-” from the womb of a mother.

    Human being should not be ” cruel “, and should always know
    what is evil and good.The government and the church should not be separated on the issue of LIFE. Both should worked very hard to find the “rightful-GODLY-solution” on this critical subject.

  19. From EB Manalang:

    We will fight peacefully but forcefully to the end,Theirs not ours.

    No life,no love,no family no country.This is the grand strategy of the new colonizers,whom we fought side by side with in the last great war for independence.

    America and UNFPA victims have lost it’s love for peace and life.They lost by silence… Like lambs on to the slaughter house.

    Cry out! Live life,love life.

    Join the anti-RH Army.Now!

    God is with us.

  20. rose rose

    ang hindi ko maintindihan…kung ang isang tao ay nakapatay pregnant woman be it by accident or intentional he would be accused of two murders…the death of the fetus and the mother…but if we were to legalize abortion ok lang dahil legal… pero dalawang patay…

  21. sychitpin sychitpin

    maybe it is high time to get out of the box and respect individual choices, instead of remaining chained to old beliefs which has grown incompatible with realities of life, isn’t it unreasonable to outlaw an act chosen by a person affecting her own body and future, while allowing millions of innocent child to suffer hell on earth every day of their lives

  22. Rudolfo Rudolfo

    Rose said, ” the death of the fetus and the mother ( either one )..but if we are to legalize abortion ok lang dahil legal (maybe through abortion law)…pero dalawang patay…ITo ang malabo at di maintindihan, kaya sabi ko,” the government and the church should be united in this issue of LIFE, very carefully, and work hard to find the rightful-GODLY-solution on this critical subject…sa aking pananaw, dalawang aspito o puntos kaya may “abortion”..may gumagawa ng abortion (abortionist or doctors, etc ) at isang handang mag-pa-abortion (the expectant pregnant) …Siguro kung walang gagawa ng abortion,mawawala o liliit din ang tysansa ng bilang ang mag-pa-abort ng fetus…” The Idea of Family planning ang nag-pasimuno nitong abortion na ito…The Issue of Economics ( Salapi-pera )is the bottom line of abortion, that, both the CBCP and the government should work together in finding the GODLY solution…and use their millions to re-educate the
    concerned parties…What does it profits a man, and gain the
    whole world, but lost his SOUL..aanhin ang kayamanan kung mawawala ang kaluluwa, at sa impyerno ang hangganan…

  23. rose rose

    I don’t think the catholic church should compromise..abortion is murder and a sin…I don’t know about other the others..religion is one’s persoal relationship with God…if you believe that a fetus is a human being with a soul..then abortion is a sin..ang mundo nga naman ngayon…nabura na ang Dios sa buhay ng karamihan…Tragic!

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