Abortion - a Crime or a Cause to Fight For? By Danijela Ramone L. Cruz

To quote the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman’s life, to her well-being and dignity. It is a decision she must make for herself.”1 Making the decision to bear and raise a child is not an easy task - it requires great amounts of effort, perseverance, and determination, if one wants to do it well. Mothers often struggle through sleepless nights and have to deal with the responsibilities that come with properly raising members of the next generation. This being said, while motherhood is an honorable thing, one problem arises within the Philippines - the rising number of women who have the unwanted responsibility of becoming mothers thrust on them. 

Data shows that over one in three (36%) of pregnancies in the Philippines are unwanted, being either mistimed or completely unplanned.2 A study done by researchers from the Guttmacher Institute attributed this to one significant issue - the increased lack of access to proper contraceptives. Contraceptives had previously been supplied to Filipinos for free by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), but this was discontinued in 2008 in the hopes of the Philippine government becoming more self-sufficient.3 Unfortunately, this led to an increased reliance on private suppliers which, in turn, has led to the higher cost of contraceptives and thus has reduced their accessibility. 

Those from other nations could simply conclude that one solution to this problem would be for Filipino women to turn to abortion instead. However, here arises another significant problem within the Philippines - the criminalization of abortion. Although it could save lives and benefit numerous women throughout the country, abortion is still punishable by the law, with its criminalization being implemented nationwide. This has led to women losing their rights to making personal decisions related to pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood. To make matters worse, it also forces women to continue on with unwanted pregnancies despite the numerous health complications that may arise.