By Gabriela Baron
A gender rights lawyer and EndGenderRights executive director has drafted a proposed bill to decriminalize abortion in the Philippines.
(Clara Rita Padilla)
Atty. Clara Rita Padilla is finalizing a first draft of the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN) Decriminalizing Abortion to Save Women's Lives bill, which aims to amend article 256-259 of the Revised Penal Code and establishes institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of women.
"This bill, when passed into law, will save the lives of many women," Padilla told Manila Bulletin.
She said the Revised Penal Code provision imposing penalties on women who induce abortion and those assisting them has never reduced the number of women inducing abortion, but only made it dangerous for women who undergo clandestine and unsafe abortion.
"With abortion decriminalized, women will have access to safe abortion, thus, averting maternal deaths and disability from unsafe abortion complications," Padilla added.
"The restrictive law on abortion is still in our law because the Philippine government has not revised the colonial Revised Penal Code imposing penalties on women who induce abortion and those who assist them."
Decriminalizing abortion to save women's lives
Padilla said there is a lack of recognition about the public health concerns related to the imposition of the restrictive law on abortion.
"Women suffering complications from unsafe abortions and even spontaneous abortions are denied access to life-saving care due to adherence to the discriminatory, restrictive provisions of the Revised Penal Code on abortion and the prevalence of imposition of religious morality on women seeking access to abortion as basic healthcare," she also said.
Three women die daily from unsafe abortion. In 2012 alone, there were 610,000 Filipino women who induced abortion, over 100,000 were hospitalized, and at least 1,000 women died.
"Women's lives and health are at stake. We need to decriminalize abortion now, not later," Padilla underscored.
When passed, Padilla said, the bill will also protect doctors, nurses, and midwives performing abortion and post-abortion care.
Padilla is also urging legislators to support and sponsor the bill.
"The decriminalization of abortion is extremely urgent as we are constantly faced with the public health issue of women dying and suffering disability from complications from unsafe abortion and spontaneous abortions," the women's rights advocate said.