Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012

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Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012
Congress of the Philippines
Long title An Act providing for a National Policy on Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health.
Citation	Republic Act No. 10354
Enacted by	House of Representatives of the Philippines
Enacted	December 19, 2012
Enacted by	Senate of the Philippines
Enacted	December 19, 2012
Signed by	Benigno Aquino III
Signed	December 21, 2012
Commenced	January 17, 2013[note 1]
Legislative history
First chamber: House of Representatives of the Philippines
Bill title	An Act providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and for Other Purposes
Bill citation	House Bill 4244[note 2]
Introduced by	Edcel Lagman (Albay)
Introduced	January 21, 2011
First reading	February 21, 2011
Second reading	December 12, 2012
Third reading	December 17, 2012
Second chamber: Senate of the Philippines
Bill title	An Act providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health and Population and Development
Bill citation	Senate Bill 2865[note 3]
Received from the House of Representatives of the Philippines	June 6, 2011
Member(s) in charge	Pia Cayetano
First reading	June 6, 2012
Second reading	December 17, 2012
Third reading	December 17, 2012
Final stages
Reported from conference committee	December 19, 2012
Conference committee bill passed by House of Representatives of the Philippines	December 19, 2012
Conference committee bill passed by Senate of the Philippines	December 19, 2012
Keywords
Family planning, reproductive health
Status: In force

The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, also known as the Reproductive Health Law or RH Law, and officially designated as Republic Act No. 10354, is a Philippine law that provides universal access to methods of contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care.

While there is agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is debate on its mandate that the government and private sector will fund, and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices such as condoms, birth control pills, and IUDs, as the government continues to disseminate information on their use, through health care centers.

The passage of the legislation was controversial and divisive, with academics, religious institutions, and politicians declaring their support or opposition while it was pending in the legislature. Heated debates and rallies supporting and opposing the Bill took place nationwide. The Supreme Court of the Philippines delayed the implementation of the law in March 2013 in response to challenges. In April 2014, the Court ruled the law was "not unconstitutional" but struck down eight provisions partially or in full.^[2]

The history of reproductive health law in the Philippines dates back to 1967 when President Ferdinand Marcos was among the heads of state who signed the Declaration on Population. The 30 countries who participated in the signing of the declaration were acknowledged by U.N. Secretary-General U Thant during a United Nations ceremony on December 11, 1967, a day after Human Rights Day.^[3][4][5] The Philippines agreed the population problem should be considered as the principal element for long-term economic development. Thus, the Population Commission was created to push for a lower family size norm and provide information and services to lower fertility rates.^[6]

Starting in 1967, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) began shouldering 80% of the total family planning commodities (contraceptives) of the country, which amounted to $3 million annually. In 1975, the U.S. adopted as its policy the National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests (NSSM200). The policy gives "paramount importance" to population control measures and the promotion of contraception among 13 populous countries, including the Philippines, to control rapid population growth which they deem to be inimical to the sociopolitical national interests of the U.S., since the "U.S. economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad", and these countries can produce destabilizing opposition forces against the U.S. It recommended the U.S. leadership to "influence national leaders" and that "improved world-wide support for population-related efforts should be sought through increased emphasis on mass media and other population education and motivation programs by the UN, USIA, and USAID."^[7]

Different presidents had different points of emphasis. President Marcos pushed for a systematic distribution of contraceptives all over the country, a policy that was called "coercive", by its leading administrator.^[3] The Corazon Aquino administration focused on giving couples the right to have the number of children they prefer, while Fidel V. Ramos shifted from population control to management. Joseph Estrada used mixed methods of reducing fertility rates, focusing on mainstreaming natural family planning.^[6]

In 1989, the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) was established, "dedicated to the formulation of viable public policies requiring legislation on population management and socio-economic development". In 2000, the Philippines signed the Millennium Declaration and committed to attaining the Millennium Declaration Goals by 2015, which include promoting gender equality and health. In 2003, USAID started its phase out of a 33-year-old program by which free contraceptives were given to the country. Aid recipients such as the Philippines, faced the challenge to fund its own contraception program. In 2004, the Department of Health (DOH) introduced the Philippines Contraceptive Self-Reliance Strategy, arranging for the replacement of these donations with domestically provided contraceptives.^[6] In August 2010, the government announced collaborative work with the USAID in implementing a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy in favor of family planning called They Have a Plan.

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