A Position Paper on the Illegalization of Abortion in the Philippines

By: Ria Sallybelle T. Dico

Introduction

Abortion is the ending of pregnancy by removing a fetus or embryo before it can survive
outside the uterus. Historically, abortions have been attempted using herbal medicines, sharp
took, with force or through other traditional methods. In many places there is much debate over
moral, ethical and legal issues of abortion. Those who oppose abortion often maintain that an
embryo or fetus is a human with a right to life and may compare abortion to murder.

In Article 11 of the 1987 Philippines constitution says, in part, “Section 12. The State
recognizes the Sanctity of the 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”.

If abortion will be legalize, our natural right will be ignored which is the right to live and
promote and protect life, however, choosing abortion is the right thing to do to those who are
force in childbirth.

Counter Argument

If ever abortion will be legalized, it could provide safety because women can receive the
proper health care required to make sure they are safe and don’t sustain any life threatening
injuries from an unprofessional.

However, abortion is not the option, thus pregnant women need support and help. PPFI
advocated more education programs, maternal and child care services and economic and social
development programs that would help stop “rape, incest, sex outside of marriage and other
causes of unwanted pregnancies”.

Another one is, the legalization of abortion would give a peace of mind to the woman,
especially when the pregnancy was a result of rape. She could become depressed, resent the
child, be reminded of her experience every time she sets eyes on her pregnant belly or her child,
and she needs to undergo abortion because of the certain condition.

But as Josephine Imbong, a CBCP Legal Counsel said, abortion should not be allowed
under any circumstances, including rape or incest. It will not give peace of mind to the mother,
hence, her conscience will be chasing her for taking the life of the unborn child, well in fact, it is
not the baby’s fault. The mother should accuse not the baby but the person who was the reason
of her suffering.

My Argument

Abortion is not safe to women’s health. It is dangerous because it maintains the status
who where many medical providers threaten women with prosecution in cases of intrauterine
fetal death, spontaneous abortion due to trauma from intimate partner violence and self-induced
abortion. In year 2012, it shows that 610,000 women resorted to abortion, over 100,000 women
were hospitalized and 3 women die every day due to unsafe abortion complications. According
also to methodology, estimates of deaths vary and it have ranged from 37,000 to 70,000 in the
past decade, deaths from unsafe abortion account for around 13% of all maternal death.

Abortion is a crime. Individual human life begins at fertilization, and therefore abortion is
the immoral killing of an innocent human being. It inflicts suffering on the unborn child, and
that, it is unfair to allow abortion when couples who cannot biologically conceive are waiting to
adopt. A push to legalize abortion in the Philippines is “unacceptable” because the country

“Should be saving lives, not taking them.” The act is criminalized by Philippine law. Articles
256,258 AND 259 0f the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines mandate imprisonment for
women who undergo abortion, as well as for any person who assist in the procedure. According
to CPCP New, the Pro- Life Philippines Foundation, Inc. (PPFI) has countered that induced
abortion is “ the deliberate termination of the life of an innocent human being and therefore, it is
a crime.”

Life begins at conception, so unborn babies are human being with a right to life. Upon
fertilization, 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
human being from conception to old age is not a metaphysical contention, it is plain
experimental evidence.”
Conclusion

Abortion is not safe to women’s health because there are complications due to unsafe
abortion. There are also providers threaten women with prosecution in cases of intrauterine fetal
dental and spontaneous abortion due to trauma from self induced abortion.

Abortion is also considered as a crime because the human life begins at fertilization, and
killing the innocent human being is immoral.

Life begins at conception so unborn babies are human being with a right to life. This
individual has a fundamental right to life, which must be protected.