Ang Mahahalagang Probisyon ng Reproductive Health Law

© Vergie Eusebio at Marissa G. Eugenio/ MyInfoBasket.com

PAMANTAYAN SA PAGKATUTO:

Naipapaliwanag ang mahahalagang probisyon ng Reproductive Health Law

Ganito ang buod ng mga probisyon ng RH Law batay sa artikulong, “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012”:

– The government is mandated to “promote, without biases, all effective natural and modern methods of family planning that are medically safe and legal”.

– Although abortion is recognized as illegal and punishable by law, “the government shall ensure that all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner”.

– The bill calls for a “multi-dimensional approach” and integrates a component of family planning and responsible parenthood into all government anti-poverty programs. Age-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education is required from grade five to fourth year high school using “life-skills and other approaches”.

– The Department of Labor and Employment is mandated to guarantee the reproductive health rights of its female employees. Companies with fewer than 200 workers are required to enter into partnership with health care providers in their area for the delivery of reproductive health services.

– Employers with more than 200 employees shall provide reproductive health services to all employees in their own respective health facilities. Those with less than 200 workers shall enter into partnerships with health professionals for the delivery of reproductive health services. Employers shall inform employees of the availability of family planning. They are also obliged to monitor pregnant working employees among their workforce and ensure they are provided paid half-day prenatal medical leaves for each month of the pregnancy period that they are employed.

– The national government and local governments will ensure the availability of reproductive health care services like family planning and prenatal care.

– Any person or public official who prohibits or restricts the delivery of legal and medically safe reproductive health care services will be meted penalty by imprisonment or a fine.

Ang mga probisyon ng RH Law na idineklarang “not unconstitutional” ng Korte Suprema ay ang mga sumusunod:

1. Sec. 3(a)—on the mandate of the government to provide and distribute for free to marginalized acceptors reproductive health services and supplies.

2. Sec. 9—on the Philippine National Drug Formulary which shall include hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine devices, injectables and other safe, legal, non-abortifacient and effective family product and supplies as determined by Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

3. Sec. 10—on the procurement and distribution of family planning supplies by the Department of Health (DOH) for distribution to local government units.

4. Sec. 14—on the provision on age-and-development-appropriate reproductive health education to adolescents in all schools.

5. Role of local government units in the implementation of the RH law as provided in various sections of the law.

6. Sec. 20—on public awareness and nationwide multimedia campaign for the protection and promotion of reproductive health and rights.

Ang walong probisyon naman na pinawalang bisa ng Korte Suprema “in full or partially” ay ang mga sumusunod:

1. Section 7, only insofar as it: (a) requires private health facilities, non-maternity specialty hospitals, and hospitals owned by religious groups to refer patients not in an emergency or life-threatening situation to another health facility which is conveniently accessible (b) provides access to family planning and RH services to minors who have been pregnant or had a miscarriage without a parental consent.

The rest of Section 7, however, which provides access to family planning, was upheld by the court, notably this line: “All accredited public health facilities shall provide a full range of modern family planning methods, which shall also include medical consultations, supplies and necessary and reasonable procedures for poor and marginalized couples having infertility issues who desire to have children.”

2. Section 23-A-1, which punishes RH providers, regardless of their religious belief, who fail or refuse to dissiminate information regarding RH services and programs

3. Section 23-A-2-i, which allows a married individual not in a life-threatening case to access RH procedures without the consent of the spouse

4. Section 23-A-3, insofar as it punishes an RH provider who fails to refer any non-life-threatening case to another RH provider

5. Section 23-B, insofar as it punishes any public officer who refuses to support RH programs

6. Section 17, which mandates a 40-hour pro bono service by private and nongovernment RH service providers, including gynecologists and obstetricians, as a prerequisite for PhilHealth accreditation

7. Section 3.01-A and J of the RH law Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), which defines abortifacients as “primarily” inducing abortion instead of simply inducing abortion

8. Section 23-A-2-ii, which prohibits RH service providers from refusing to perform legal and medically-safe reproductive health procedures on minors in non-life-threatening situations without parental consent

Sa kaniyang artikulong, “RA 10354: Lahat ng Dapat Mong Malaman sa RH Law,” ipinahayag ni Atty. Nikki Jimeno na ang mga probisyon ng RH Law ay:

… kumikilala at nagtataguyod ng karapatang pantao, gaya ng karapatan sa pagkakapantay-pantay; karapatan sa napapanatiling pag-unlad ng tao; karapatan sa kalusugan, na may kasamang reproductive health; karapatan sa edukasyon at impormasyon; karapatang pumili at gumawa ng mga pagpapasya para sa sarili alinsunod sa sariling paniniwala sa relihiyon, etika, kultura, at hinihingi ng responsableng pagiging magulang; karapatan sa kalusugan ng mga kababaihan, lalo na ang mga ina, at ng mga tao sa pangkalahatan; karapatan ng mga bata, kabataan, at hindi pa ipinapanganak; karapatan ng mga bata, kabilang ang tamang pangangalaga at nutrisyon, at espesyal na proteksyon mula sa lahat ng mga porma ng pagpapabaya, pang-aabuso, kalupitan, pagsasamantala, at iba pang mga kondisyon na pumipinsala sa kanilang pag-unlad; at karapatan ng mga pamilya o asosasyon ng pamilya na makilahok sa pagpaplano at pagpapatupad ng mga patakaran at programa.

Hindi rin umano totoo na ang RH Law ay nagpapahintulot o naghihikayat ng pagpapalaglag, bagkus ay buong linaw nitong sinasabi na ang pagpapalaglag ay labag sa batas, at ipinagbabawal nito ang pagbebenta at paggamit ng mga gamot o aparato na abortifacient.

Wala rin umanong katotohanan na ginagawang mandatory ng batas ang edukasyon sa sex sa kurikulum ng high school. Ang ituturo umano ay hindi ang sex education per se kundi ang edukasyon sa reproductive health, bilang bahagi na ng paksa sa biology, at ang mga kaugnay na paksa gaya ng pangangalaga sa sarili laban sa diskriminasyon, sekswal na pang-aabuso, at karahasan laban sa kababaihan at mga bata.

Hindi rin nito pinahihintulutan ang mga menor de edad na bumili ng mga kontraseptibo o magkaroon ng akses sa mga serbisyo sa pagpaplano ng pamilya, maliban kung mayroon silang “nakasulat na pahintulot mula sa kanilang mga magulang o tagapag-alaga (Sec. 7).”

Ang RH Law ay sinasabing “nagbibigay lakas sa kababaihan” dahiil binibigyan nito ng kalayaan ang mga kababaihan na magpasya para sa kanilang sarili sa ilang mga isyu, gaya ng kung anong uri ng paraan ng pagpaplano ng pamilya ang susundin, natural man o artipisyal; pag-akses sa impormasyon at serbisyo sa pagpaplano ng pamilya; at ang ukol sa kalusugan ng ina, sanggol at bata at nutrisyon, kasama ang pagpapasuso.

Tangi rito, hindi na kailangan ng mga kababaihan ang pahintulot ng kani-kaniyang asawa upang sumailalim sa ligal at ligtas na medikal na pamamaraan ng kalusugan ng reproduktibo. Tinitiyak din ng RA 10354 na ang pagbubuntis ng isang babae o ang bilang ng kaniyang mga anak ay hindi na magiging batayan para sa hindi pagtanggap sa kaniya sa trabaho, o para alisin siya sa trabaho.

Sa kabuoan, mabuti ang layunin ng RH law na maikalat ang kaalaman ukol sa Reproductive Health, mapadali ang akses sa mga ligtas at modernong pamamaraan ng contraception, matulungan ang mga Pilipino sa mas maayos na pagpaplano ng pamilya, at mapangalagaaan ang kalusugan ng mga ina … ituloy ang pagbasa

© Marissa G. Eugenio/ MyInfoBasket.com

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