1.

Abortion is against the constitution

Article II, Section 12 of the constitution states that, The State recognizes the sanctity of
family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social
institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from
conception. The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for
civic efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the support of the
Government.
Life begins at conception, so unborn babies are human beings with a right to life. Upon
fertilization, a human individual is created with a unique genetic identity that remains
unchanged throughout his or her life. This individual has a fundamental right to life, which
must be protected. Jerome Lejeune, the French geneticist who discovered the chromosome
abnormality that causes Down syndrome, stated that "To accept the fact that after fertilization
has taken place a new human has come into being is no longer a matter of taste or opinion...
The human nature of the human being from conception to old age is not a metaphysical
contention, it is plain experimental evidence."
2. Misconception on the doctrine of Separation of Church and State
The separation of church and state is sometimes thought of as a wall separating the affairs
of the two. Those who follow this thinking usually claim that religion should have nothing to
do with the affairs of men. They would probably also say that religious belief should not
influence the crafting of laws, affect the actions of public officials, or even be part of public
debate. Instead, government should be neutral towards all religions and be totally secular in
nature.
The Philippines is currently governed by the 1987 Constitution, which states in Article II,
Section 6:
The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.
In Article III, Section 5, the Constitution also states:
No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without
discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for
the exercise of civil or political rights.
This provision in the constitution guarantees of our protection of the free exercise of religion.
There is nothing that mandates that religious belief cannot be a consideration in the crafting
of laws and public policy, or that it be kept out of public debate, or that public officials must
abandon religious beliefs in the performance of their duties.
3. The Revised Penal Code of the Philippines penalizes those committing or assisting
abortion: the woman, her parents, and healthcare providers
Abortion in the Philippines is generally illegal. Under the abortion provisions of the Penal
Code, a person who intentionally causes an abortion with the consent of the pregnant
woman is subject to a penalty of prison correccional (that is imprisonment for from six
months to six years) in its medium or maximum period. A physician or midwife who causes
or assists in the performance of an abortion is subject to the maximum period of this

penalty, as well as suspension from the right to follow a profession. A woman performing
an abortion on herself to conceal her dishonour is subject to the minimum or medium
period of this penalty. Although the Penal Code does not list specific exceptions to the
general prohibition on abortion, under the general criminal law principles of necessity as
set forth in article 11(4) of the Code, an abortion may be legally performed to save the
pregnant womans life.
4. Abortion is the killing of a human being, which defies the word of God. The Bible does not
draw a distinction between fetuses and babies: the Greek word brephos is used in the
Bible to refer to both an unborn child and an infant. By the time a baby is conceived, he or
she is recognized by God, as demonstrated in Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed thee in the
belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee..." The
Sixth Commandment of the Bible's Old Testament, "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13),
applies to all human beings, including unborn babies

5. Abortions cause psychological damage. A 2008 peer-reviewed study published in

theScandinavian Journal of Public Health found that "Young adult women who undergo...
abortion may be at increased risk for subsequent depression." A peer-reviewed 2005 study
published in BMC Medicine found that women who underwent an abortion had
"significantly higher" anxiety scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale up to
five years after the pregnancy termination. A 2002 peer-reviewed study published by the
Southern Medical Journal of more than 173,000 American women found that women who
aborted were 154% more likely to commit suicide than women who carried to term. A
1996 study published in theBritish Medical Journal reported that the mean annual suicide
rate amongst women who had an abortion was 34.7 per 100,000, compared with a mean
rate of 11.3 per 100,000 in the general population of women. An Apr. 1998 Journal of
Social and Clinical Psychology study of men whose partners had abortions found that
51.6% of the men reported regret, 45.2% felt sadness, and 25.8% experienced depression

6. If women become pregnant, they should accept the responsibility that comes with
producing a child. People need to take responsibility for their actions and accept the
consequences. Having sexual intercourse, even when contraceptive methods are used,
carries with it the risk of a pregnancy. The unborn baby should not be punished for a
mistake made by adults. If women are unprepared to care for their children, they should at
least put them up for adoption. Women should not be able to use abortion as a form of
contraception. It is immoral to kill an unborn child for convenience.

7. Abortion may lead to future medical problems for the mother. A June 2003 study published
by the peer-reviewed International Journal of Epidemiology estimated that about 15% of
first-trimester miscarriages are attributed to a prior history of induced abortion, and stated
that "Induced abortion by vacuum aspiration is associated with an increased risk of firsttrimester miscarriage in the subsequent pregnancy." A 2013 Chinese study published in
the peer-reviewed Indian Journal of Cancer found an association between breast cancer
and a history of abortions. A Feb. 2014 study published in the peer-reviewed Cancer
Causes and Control found that abortion "is significantly associated with an increased risk

of breast cancer" and that "the risk of breast cancer increases as the number of
[abortions] increases."