PRO-reproductive health advocates urged Thursday the Supreme Court to lift its ban on some provisions of family planning.
At a news conference in Quezon City, Romeo Dongeto, Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development executive director, said the biggest challenge to the implementation of the RH law was the SC’s nearly two-year-old temporary restraining order prohibiting the Department of Health to approve new registration of contraceptives, and promote and distribute hormonal contraceptives “Implanon” and “Implanon NXT.”
“It is lamentable that almost five years since its enactment, the agencies tasked to implement the law cannot focus on implementing but are instead occupied with addressing legal issues, such as this TRO,” he said.
He feared for a contraceptive stockout to affect over 13-million Filipino women if the court’s order was not lifted.
They hope the high court will finally decide in favor of the rights and health of the women.
“We also urge the public to join us in our call,” he added.
He disclosed the Purple Ribbon for RH, a broad network of RH advocates, would once again embark on a nationwide campaign to convince the SC to lift the TRO.
“In November last year, we launched a signature drive to gather at least one-million signatures to urge the court to abandon the ban,” he said.
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act or Republic Act No. 10354 was enacted on Dec. 21, 2012.
Its implementing rules and regulations were signed on March 15, 2013 in Manila.
The Supreme Court issued a status quo ante order against RA No. 10354 in March 2013.
On April 8, 2014, the Act and its IRRs were declared as “not unconstitutional” with the exception of eight items.
Last year, the high court stopped the Health department’s program for the distribution of contraceptive implants that can prevent pregnancies for up to three years and barred the Food and Drug Administration from “granting any and all pending applications for reproductive products and supplies, including contraceptive drugs and devices.”
According to the Commission on Population, the prohibition against the FDA meant that 90 percent of contraceptive brands would no longer be available, rendering the RH Law ineffective.
Dongeto was joined by Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo and PopCom executive director Juan Antonio Perez III during the conference.
“Our women are deprived of the chance to choose the methods on family planning. There are women who have to spend more for contraceptives, while there are others who actually cannot get the services they need,” Perez said.
The country’s current population is 103,297,399.
The PoPCom said the population could reach 113,798,224 by 2022 if the TRO would remain in effect.
The group also said maternal deaths was projected to reach 8,000 by 2022 because of the TRO.
Dongeto lamented that since its enactment in December 2012, the law had faced several legal challenges.
The groups claimed the TRO had affected about 13.4 million women, of which 6.1 million women were using contraceptives.
On the other hand, 7.3 million women are in need of family planning.