• Culture
    Culture
    Filipino actors Bridgerton

    Get to know the Filipino actors in ‘Bridgerton’

    pura luka vega chappell roan church

    Matched her freak! Pura Luka Vega performs Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ at ‘Church’

    AI and deepfake porn is a form of sexual assault—and we need to talk about it

    AI and deepfake porn is a form of sexual assault—and we need to talk about it

    • Women
    • Queer
    • Politics
    • Environment
    • Food
  • Style
    Style
    Pond's serums

    These night serums are your new solutions for radiant, glowing skin

    5 original Filipino fragrance brands to check out

    5 original Filipino fragrance brands to check out

    Here’s where you can get unique, one-off accessories—designed by you

    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Space
    • Shopping
  • Entertainment
    Entertainment
    Filipino actors Bridgerton

    Get to know the Filipino actors in ‘Bridgerton’

    pura luka vega chappell roan church

    Matched her freak! Pura Luka Vega performs Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ at ‘Church’

    charlie’s angels totally spies!

    Our favorite onscreen spies, from Austin Powers to ‘Totally Spies!’

    • Celebrities
    • TV & Movies
    • Music
  • Life+Money
    Life+Money
    Single woman adopts baby

    Forming a family: When a single woman adopts a baby

    painting of baby

    A mother-to-be’s survival guide

    Navigating a friend breakup that has no bad blood

    It’s no one’s fault: When a friendship naturally runs its course

    • Career & Money
    • Parenting & Relationships
    • Sex & Health
    • Astrology
    • Travel
  • Inquirer.net
  • Lifestyle
Reading
Abortion is a human right—this youth-led initiative says why
ShareTweet
In Culture
5 min read

Abortion is a human right—this youth-led initiative says why

By Amrie Cruzon November 2, 2020
preen abortion interview amarela
Share

preen abortion interview amarela

In the Philippines, there’s a national policy on the prevention and management of abortion complications (PMAC) aimed at providing post-abortion care. If it’s no secret that many Filipinos who deal with unwanted pregnancies are forced to undergo risky procedures, what’s keeping us from legalizing abortion?

According to a study published by the Guttmacher Institute in 2013, the country has a high maternal mortality ratio with 1,000 Filipinos dying each year from abortion complications while tens of thousands are hospitalized yearly for complications from unsafe abortion.

I sat down with Arya, chairperson of the youth-led initiative advocating for sexual and reproductive healthcare called Amarela Philippines, to talk abortion procedures, why abortion’s legalization is a human right issue and the local reproductive health organizations advocating for it.

How’s Amarela Philippines and its members been doing these past months? Were you busier under quarantine?

Arya: So far, Amarela’s been doing well. We’ve been quite busy despite quarantine. We’ve recently finished our second webinar, “Amarela Talks 2: Legalizing Abortion in the Philippines” and launched our sexual and reproductive healthcare community called Kanlungan. Our members are usually very busy but we make it a point for all of us to have a balance and rest every once in a while.

What is Amarela and what’s the story behind its founding?

Arya: Amarela Philippines is a sector-based non-government and non-profit organization. We aim to promote reproductive healthcare and education, as well as women empowerment and gender inclusivity. By extension, we also protest against gender-based violence and sexual harassment.

We originally started when our founder, Nina Co, and her colleagues wanted to raise funds for Likhaan Center for Women’s Health Inc., an organization that provides free reproductive healthcare and services to Filipinos. They realized there was a need for Filipinos to be educated and to start talking about topics such as sex, birth control and reproductive health to destigmatize the topic.

Since its conception in June 2019, our group has been able to facilitate discussions and educate Filipinos both online and offline about sex and issues that are included in our advocacies.

What is the state of sexual and reproductive healthcare in the Philippines?

Arya: Sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) in the Philippines is developing. However, there are barriers that we have to tackle to make sure SRH is inclusive. The stigma of sex prevents it from being accessible to everyone. A lot of people are still uncomfortable with the idea of sex being discussed in school or with anyone outside the family. Contraceptives and other forms of sexual healthcare are still considered to be unnatural or foreign to most and the long-standing societal and religious view of sex has affected how people feel about sex, having sex and even learning about anything related to reproductive health.

There are many SRH resources available online. There are many organizations, businesses and even individuals that promote it online. These resources are only available to those who can afford it—mostly middle or upper-middle-class individuals. However, it should be considered an essential right for all. 

From translating factual resources to providing basic SRH healthcare at lower discounted rates, it’s still very much a work in progress.

While abortion remains illegal in the Philippines, the country has a policy created to provide post-abortion care services. What are local services and resources available for women who struggle with unwanted pregnancies?

Arya: The local services and resources available for women are often related to psychological counseling and support for mothers as well as adoption services for those who are unable to care for a child.

It is important to support women through the entire process because pregnancy can have both physical and mental effects. We usually redirect these questions to reproductive and maternal support organizations such as Likhaan (Center for Women’s Health Inc.), Family Planning Organization of the Philippines and Kaisahang Bahay Foundation. Aside from this, we also provided resources for maternal counseling and advice.

Can you share with us an account of someone who has gone through the procedure or was looking to get that procedure? If we have a friend or a family member who is in that situation, how do we provide them support?

Arya: The procedure itself is still illegal in the Philippines. However, there are still many women who look towards illegal and unsafe means to access abortions. “Open House: Telling Truer Stories” (a collaborative event from  SheDecides Philippines, Filipino Freethinkers, Center for Reproductive Rights, Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights, Young Advocates for SRHR and Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network) has episodes dedicated to sharing the stories of women who have had abortions.

When you have a friend or family member in the same situation, what is important is to support and listen to them. This stigma around those who have had abortions could cause discrimination, ostracization and even exclusion [from communities]. Another [way to lend a hand] is by redirecting individuals to services and organizations that could further provide support for them through informative resources and professional help.

What the biggest misconception about abortion? 

Arya: Whenever people think of abortions, they think of it as the removal of a baby. There are circulations of false procedures, with extremely graphic descriptions being called abortions. In reality, safe abortions happen before the 24th week, with only special cases being allowed past it. There are two procedures for abortion, depending on how far along the woman is.

One procedure is through [taking a series of] “abortion pills.” The surgical procedures, on the other hand, are through vacuum aspiration or dilation and curettage. Legalizing abortions are a way to ensure that [its] procedures are safe for the woman.

Abortion is a form of healthcare that allows women to gain control over their bodies and make decisions that could affect their lives long term. The lack of safe abortions [forces] women [to choose] unsafe and unsanitary [alternatives] that could lead to illness, injuries and even death.

Regardless of whether abortions are legal or not, the procedure will continue to happen. Regardless of the reason, everyone has a right to bodily autonomy and healthcare which is why abortions should be legalized in the Philippines.

 

Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash

Follow Preen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Viber

Related Stories:
Heads up: Here’s a webinar on safe abortions during the pandemic
Argentina’s move to legalize abortion is an important feat for women’s safety
Dismissing women’s reproductive health will never be okay
Podcasts that feel like a regular ladies’ talk

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0

Action Required!

We embed Facebook Comments plugin to allow you to leave comment at our website using your Facebook account. It may collects your IP address, your web browser User Agent, store and retrieve cookies on your browser, embed additional tracking, and monitor your interaction with the commenting interface, including correlating your Facebook account with whatever action you take within the interface (such as “liking” someone’s comment, replying to other comments), if you are logged into Facebook. For more information about how this data may be used, please see Facebook’s data privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update.

Accept    Decline

Tags
abortionReproductive Health

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay in the loop


By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

ShareTweetEmailShare
Amrie Cruz
Amrie is a nonbinary writer who likes to talk about politics and viral animal videos. They have a dog daughter named Cassie who doesn’t go to school.

Peek This

Pond's serums

These night serums are your new solutions for radiant, glowing skin

Filipino actors Bridgerton

Get to know the Filipino actors in ‘Bridgerton’

pura luka vega chappell roan church

Matched her freak! Pura Luka Vega performs Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ at ‘Church’

AI and deepfake porn is a form of sexual assault—and we need to talk about it

AI and deepfake porn is a form of sexual assault—and we need to talk about it

Preen.ph © 2020. Hinge Inquirer Publications, Inc.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • HOME
  • ARCHIVES
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
Previous
Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Enchong Dee explore alter Twitter in ‘Alter Me’
Next
Grieving in the midst of a pandemic
  • Culture
    • Women
    • Queer
    • Politics
    • Environment
    • Food
  • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Space
    • Shopping
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrities
    • TV & Movies
    • Music
  • Life+Money
    • Career & Money
    • Parenting & Relationships
    • Sex & Health
    • Astrology
    • Travel
  • Inquirer.net
  • Lifestyle
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Search
Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close
fashion fashion news music Culture News movies
See all results

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay in the loop


By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.