Skip to content
Center for Reproductive Rights
Center for Reproductive Rights

Primary Menu

  • About
    • Overview
    • Center Leadership & Staff
    • Pro Bono Program
    • Creative Council
    • Annual Reports
    • Contact Us
    • Careers
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Work
    • Overview
    • Litigation
    • Legal Policy and Advocacy
    • Resources & Research
    • Recent Case Highlights
    • Landmark Cases
    • World’s Abortion Laws Map
    • After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State
  • Issues
    • Overview
    • Abortion
    • Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
    • Assisted Reproduction
    • Contraception
    • Humanitarian Settings
    • Maternal Health
    • COVID-19
  • Regions
    • Overview
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America and the Caribbean
    • United States
    • Global Advocacy
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Center in the Spotlight
    • Events
    • Press Releases
    • Press Room
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Resources & Research
    • World Abortion Laws Map
    • After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State
  • Act
    • Overview
    • Give
    • Act
    • Learn
  • Donate
    • Make a Gift Now
    • Be a Champion
    • Join the Advocates Council
    • Become a Major Donor
    • Give Through Your Donor-Advised Fund
    • Make a Gift In Honor
    • Attend an Event
    • Leave a Legacy
    • More Ways to Give
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
Donate
icon-hamburger icon-magnifying-glass Donate
icon-magnifying-glass-teal

Philippine Commission on Human Rights Report: Criminalization of Abortion Stigmatizes Women

Center for Reproductive Rights - Center for Reproductive Rights - search logo
search Close Close icon
Center for Reproductive Rights -
Menu Close Menu Close icon
Donate

Primary Menu

  • About
    • Overview
    • Center Leadership & Staff
    • Pro Bono Program
    • Creative Council
    • Annual Reports
    • Contact Us
    • Careers
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Work
    • Overview
    • Litigation
    • Legal Policy and Advocacy
    • Resources & Research
    • Recent Case Highlights
    • Landmark Cases
    • World’s Abortion Laws Map
    • After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State
  • Issues
    • Overview
    • Abortion
    • Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
    • Assisted Reproduction
    • Contraception
    • Humanitarian Settings
    • Maternal Health
    • COVID-19
  • Regions
    • Overview
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America and the Caribbean
    • United States
    • Global Advocacy
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Center in the Spotlight
    • Events
    • Press Releases
    • Press Room
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Resources & Research
    • World Abortion Laws Map
    • After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State
  • Act
    • Overview
    • Give
    • Act
    • Learn
  • Donate
    • Make a Gift Now
    • Be a Champion
    • Join the Advocates Council
    • Become a Major Donor
    • Give Through Your Donor-Advised Fund
    • Make a Gift In Honor
    • Attend an Event
    • Leave a Legacy
    • More Ways to Give
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Related Content

Issues:

Abortion, Legal Protections

Regions:

Accountability Bodies

Work:

At the United Nations

Type:

News, Press Releases

Follow the Center

Donate Now

Join Now

11.15.2016

At the United Nations Abortion Accountability Bodies News

Philippine Commission on Human Rights Report: Criminalization of Abortion Stigmatizes Women

Justin Goldberg

Share this Story

  • facebook
  • Twitter
  • linkedin
  • Email id
Philippine Commission on Human Rights Report: Criminalization of Abortion Stigmatizes Women

(PRESS RELEASE) The criminal ban on abortion in the Philippines stigmatizes women and has led to many poor women resorting to unsafe abortion—according to a national inquiry report from the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR).



In its report formally launched today, the CHR identified the ban on abortion as a legal and policy barrier to the full implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act (RPRHA), noting how the criminalization of abortion leads to unsafe abortions and to stigma in the access and availability of post-abortion care. The commission calls on the Philippine Congress to review the penal provisions on abortion and take into consideration recommendations to decriminalize and legalize abortion from the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) as a result of a special inquiry in 2012.



Between March-May 2016, the CHR, in its role as a national human rights institution and Gender and Development Ombud under the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act 9710), conducted its first ever national inquiry on reproductive health and rights, hosting regional consultations, fact-finding missions and public hearings throughout the country. Civil society groups, including the Center for Reproductive Rights, submitted reports to CHR as part of the inquiry.



Said Melissa Upreti, regional director for Asia at the Center for Reproductive Rights:



“Women in the Philippines should be able to make personal reproductive health choices without stigma and the risk of criminal prosecution.



“We commend the Commission on Human Rights for calling on Congress to amend its restrictive abortion law and expand access to reproductive health services.  



“The Philippine government must stop delaying the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act. It’s time to lift the criminal ban on abortion so women can get the reproductive health services they deserve with dignity.”



The Philippines has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, imposing a criminal ban on abortion without any clear exceptions. Despite this ban, abortion is common and estimates by the Guttmacher Institute show an increase in its incidence—from approximately 560,000 in 2008 to 610,000 in 2012.



While the RPRHA excludes abortion from the definition of reproductive health rights, the law passed in 2012 guarantees access to humane, nonjudgmental and compassionate post-abortion care. The CHR inquiry report found that there is “uneven” implementation of the law as a result of varying levels of support from local governments, and the presence of religious and cultural barriers and “discriminatory” laws and policies that negatively impact women.



The Center for Reproductive Rights participated in the CHR national inquiry, submitting a report documenting stories of women who suffered from unsafe abortions and were unable to access quality post-abortion care. The commission also used findings from the Center report Forsaken Lives, which examines and exposes human rights violations resulting from the criminal ban on abortion in the Philippines.



This year, the Philippines was reviewed by three U.N. Committees – the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Committee against Torture and the CEDAW Committee – which all urged the government to review its abortion ban and provide access to the full range of contraceptive information and services. The Center made submissions to all of these Committees highlighting the harmful impact of the ban and the need for law reform.



In November 2012, members from the CEDAW Committee traveled to the Philippines to conduct a special inquiry after the Center for Reproductive Rights and partner NGOs reported human rights violations women in the country were facing mainly due to Executive Order 003, which effectively bans women’s access to modern contraceptives in Manila City. In its inquiry report released in May 2015, the CEDAW Committee recognized the far reaching consequences of denial of access to contraception as well as the impact of the abortion ban. The report called on the Philippine government to enact measures to ensure universal access to modern contraceptives including related information and services and revoke the executive orders that have denied women such access for over a decade.  It also called for the legalization of abortion on specific grounds and the decriminalization of abortion. In addition, it recommended that the government take measures to prevent the abuse of women seeking post-abortion care and establish effective reporting procedures to handle complaints.



The Philippine Commission on Human Rights conducted its national inquiry on reproductive health in part because of the CEDAW Committee’s findings. The CHR’s report reinforces the findings and recommendations of the CEDAW Committee which must be heeded by the government to ensure the protection of women’s reproductive rights.



Donate Now


Related Posts

Concluding observations on the combined eighth and ninth periodic reports of El Salvador

Download the document here.  

Abortion,United States, Accountability Bodies, United Nations,At the United Nations

Error de la justicia: El impacto de la prohibición total del aborto en El Salvador

Error de la justicia: El impacto de la prohibición total del aborto en El Salvador

Abortion, Legal Restrictions,Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, El Salvador, Accountability Bodies, United Nations,At the United Nations

Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

Abortion, Adolescent SRHR, Maternal Health,Accountability Bodies, United Nations,At the United Nations, Reporting on Rights

Sign up for email updates.

The most up-to-date news on reproductive rights, delivered straight to you.

Footer Menu

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Center for Reproductive Rights
© (1992-2022)

Use of this site signifies agreement with our disclaimer and privacy policy.

Center for Reproductive Rights
This site uses necessary, analytics and social media cookies to improve your experience and deliver targeted advertising. Click "Options" or click here to learn more and customize your cookie settings, otherwise please click "Accept" to proceed.
OPTIONSACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_UA-6619340-11 minuteNo description
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
_parsely_session30 minutesThis cookie is used to track the behavior of a user within the current session.
HotJar: _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress30 minutesNo description
HotJar: _hjFirstSeen30 minutesNo description
HotJar: _hjid1 yearThis cookie is set by Hotjar. This cookie is set when the customer first lands on a page with the Hotjar script. It is used to persist the random user ID, unique to that site on the browser. This ensures that behavior in subsequent visits to the same site will be attributed to the same user ID.
HotJar: _hjIncludedInPageviewSample2 minutesNo description
HotJar: _hjIncludedInSessionSample2 minutesNo description
HotJar: _hjTLDTestsessionNo description
SSCVER1 year 24 daysThe domain of this cookie is owned by Nielsen. The cookie is used for online advertising by creating user profile based on their preferences.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website.
fr3 monthsThe cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
IMRID1 year 24 daysThe domain of this cookie is owned by Nielsen. The cookie is used for storing the start and end of the user session for nielsen statistics. It helps in consumer profiling for online advertising.
personalization_id2 yearsThis cookie is set by twitter.com. It is used integrate the sharing features of this social media. It also stores information about how the user uses the website for tracking and targeting.
TDID1 yearThe cookie is set by CloudFare service to store a unique ID to identify a returning users device which then is used for targeted advertising.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
adEdition1 dayNo description
akaas_MSNBC10 daysNo description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearNo description
geoEdition1 dayNo description
next-i18next1 yearNo description
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo
Scroll Up