AT A "MediaLinks" forum last Feb. 27, sponsored by the Women's Feature Service, I gave a presentation on "Reproductive Health as an Electoral Issue." Part of the presentation was my suggestion that women and reproductive health groups raise four specific questions to candidates whenever and wherever they can. This was not just to raise awareness about reproductive health among voters and candidates, but more important, to guide voters on who among the contenders are supportive of reproductive health and rights. I also said that these questions should be raised before candidates running for both national and local office, since local governments are now at the forefront of delivering health services, including those for reproductive health, to communities.
Participants at the forum then suggested that the Women's Feature Service forward the questions to the five presidential candidates. WFS executive director Olive Hubilla Tripon sent me a few days ago the first and so far, the only response from a presidential candidate: President Macapagal-Arroyo.
Let me say how much I appreciate Ms Macapagal's-or at least her campaign managers'-taking time to give serious thought to these issues and formulating her responses and dare we say, the future direction of her policies and programs should she prevail on May 10. Given her refusal to participate in any public forum or debate on issues of policy and performance, perhaps, we should settle for these responses, for now.
I'm reprinting the President's replies below, with my comments to follow on Tuesday.
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1. DO you believe in the right of individuals and couples to make their own reproductive choices?
Yes, definitely. The decision to use natural or modern family planning methods is the right of the spouses. The Constitution provides that "the State shall defend the right of the spouses to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions and the demands of responsible parenthood."
That is why the administration's policy is defined by responsible parenthood, respect for life and informed choice. As much as we can, we shall push for a population policy that is based on free choice and family planning based on Christian values. The government's responsibility lies in providing information on medically safe and socially acceptable means to address our high birth rate and its consequences on maternal and child health as well as population growth.
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2. Do you believe in the provision of public funds to enable couples to meet their ideal family size?
In reality, public funds are disbursed according to the present administration's population control policy. In the past, much attention has already been given to the promotion of modern family planning methods. But statistics show that only 49 percent of couples practice contraception, 30 percent of whom use modern artificial methods.
At present, my administration is pushing for an aggressive natural population plan that involves massive educational and awareness campaigns on responsible parenting and birth spacing. If we can bring up the use of even the natural methods alone with the remaining 51 percent of couples, we might make a difference.
The next thing would be to look at new technologies in family planning that are applicable to our social context. One of the issues facing natural methods is their reliability, and developments to making them more reliable are most needed and very welcome.
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3. DO you believe in adolescent reproductive health and rights?
Yes. In fact, the Department of Health has created the Adolescent and Youth Health and Development Program which is an element of Reproductive Health and which aims to integrate adolescent and youth health services into the health delivery systems by ensuring all adolescent and youth of access to quality health care services in an adolescent and youth friendly environment. It hopes to produce well-informed, empowered, responsible and healthy adolescents and youth.
For this year, the program hopes to reduce the mortality rate among adolescents and youth, reduce teenage pregnancies, increase health and care-seeking behavior of adolescents, and increase their knowledge and awareness levels of fertility, sexuality and sexual health. It also hopes to increase the number of health facilities providing basic health services including counseling for adolescents and youth; integrate gender-sensitivity training and reproductive health in the secondary school curriculum; and establish resource centers or one-stop shops for adolescents and youth in each province.
The program is really a 10-year plan, which has been prepared by the DOH.
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4. WHAT priority would you give to reproductive health and rights in your overall program of government?
Reproductive health is part of our bigger agenda of access to health, which is one of the major targets of my administration. And among the health programs, the National Family Planning Program comes second (expanded program on immunization is first). We want to focus on family welfare and health, through education and choice.
Other areas of priority for development are jobs, housing, education, clean water, property rights, agriculture, free enterprise, SMEs, peace and order and corruption (not necessarily in that order).
We will need to empower the women, but we also need to educate the men, because making motherhood (?) and raising children are the responsibility of both men and women.
