Legalization of abortion

Jerry Ann S. Luceña

Introduction:
Abortion is a woman's personal choice and therefore must be a legal component in today's
society. Individual rights play an important role in the controversial issue of whether to legalize
abortion in the Philippines, there are several main reasons why women should be able to
choose to undergo an abortion. Data shows that 36% of pregnancies in the Philippines are
unwanted, either occurring at the wrong time or without any proper preparation. Women should
have the responsibility to decide on matters regarding their own bodies and should have the
right to do so. Although abortion should be made legal, this shouldn't give minors the freedom to
behave irresponsibly. The fact that we support legalizing abortion does not imply that we
advocate teen sex.

Body 1: The RA 9262 of the Philippines aims to protect women and their children. However,
even with this law being established in our country, violation of women’s rights still rises, and is
often caused by violence. Unwanted pregnancies that soon lead to abortion are mostly linked
with sexual assault, rape, and domestic abuse. Women are forced to give birth, and raise a
child, totally disregarding the cause of their pregnancy. Baring a child after going through
violence and violation is undoubtedly uneasy. In accordance with the National Sexual Violence
Resource Center (NSVRC), 1 in 5 women experienced rape during their lifetime, while 98% of
rape victims in the Philippines are women. In addition, there are also rape-caused pregnancies
by intimate partners. The repercussions and aftermath of experiencing sexual assault and
abuse are immensely distressing for one’s physical, mental, and emotional health. The most
common physical effects of sexual assault on a woman’s body are sexually transmitted
infections, bleeding, bruising, and mainly pregnancy. Whereas the general results of these
violence in relation with their mental health are developing post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), depression, dissociation, and depression. Enduring these said consequences of rape
or assault and carrying a child concurrently is difficult and may even worsen the victim’s
situation. With that being said, pregnancy induced by violence is one of the factors why abortion
should be legalized. The law should provide safety to survivors of these abuses. Mainly, by
providing legal and safe abortion services to women who choose to get an abortion.

Body 2:
One with the highest pregnancy rates in the ASEAN member states is the Philippines with
more than 500 adolescents that give birth every day. Aside from having lack of knowledge
about sexual and reproductive health, domestic violence, and rape, what leads young child-
bearing are also curiosity or experimentation, influence of liberal views on sex, lack of
information about birth control, absence of parental guidance & support, and peer pressure.
The financial cost of teenagers having babies is negatively overwhelming because being a
young parent is not really easy and it's extremely risky, it is highly possible to face critical
social issues such as poor education and poverty. Not only themselves, their family and the
child are greatly affected but this also affects the population and society, 47 births annually
per 1,000 women aged 15-19, higher than the average adolescent birth rates of 44 globally
and 33.5 in the ASEAN region according to the recent World Bank data. In accordance with
the findings of the Listahanan 3 survey released in August 1,2022 by the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), there are over 5.6 million Filipino families living
in poverty as of 2022, in contrast from 5.2 million families that are identified as poor in
Listahanan 2 which was released in 2015.

Body 3:
Every expectant mother has to understand that delivery is meant to be simple and painless,
and that there are six essential birth practices that make it safer for both moms and
newborns. Every pregnant woman should be aware that the typical maternity care is not
evidence-based and that her care will be significantly influenced by her healthcare provider
and the location of her birth. Childbirth education can be a resource for understanding how
decisions regarding maternity care affect the health and safety of mothers and babies as
well as for assisting women in simplifying pregnancy and birth. As of now abortion is illegal,
many pregnant women abort in a bad way that will harm them even more. With legalization,
we should have clinics for pregnant women who want to have an abortion. Maybe they are
not ready yet or it has a bad effect on their lives. It is important that when a pregnant
woman has an abortion, it should be done in a safe and healthy way. We should have
clinics with expert doctors in abortion for the safety of a child. woman who did not want to
get pregnant.

Body 4: Women's choice must have the right to have an abortion. First, women who don't want
children or have a child at a young age, and choose to abort their baby. It's her choice to have
an abortion. The government doesn't need to say something about that. They have many
reasons why some women choose abortion. First, Financially especially for those teenagers
who don't have the money to raise a child and are not ready to become parents. Second,
Woman’s body. Women's bodies have the right to choose their path. Some got pregnant from
harassment, Rape. That's why abortion should be legal in our country. Third, their health issues,
according to the science a woman's body should be at least at the age of 18 to carry a child in
their tummies. Unwanted pregnancy can cause emotional damage and physical well-being.
Women have the right to decide for their bodies. Based on International legal instruments,
women's convention, Article 10-14: The right to health, reproductive health, and family planning.
Women who don't know family planning due to early pregnancy. Teenagers who want to
continue their studies give them the freedom at making-decision about their privacy concerns.
Mostly, Teenagers have many problems regarding their early pregnancy that cause them so
many problems. Pregnancy causes them so much damage not only to their emotions but also to
their physical. "Her body, Her rules' ' women should know that it's important to focus on
themselves, Protect themselves, and make the right decision about being a woman. Abortion is
not a word to ruin women's rights. Women should have the right to make choices regarding how
they want to have children in relation to their age and financial stability.

Body 5:
Abortion has been illegal in the primarily Catholic country of the Philippines, a former American
territory, for more than a century. According to the law, women who are found to have
terminated their fetuses face prison terms of two to six years. state-imposed punishment
Doctors and nurses who are detected performing or helping in abortions face harsh penalties
under the law. They can have their medical licenses revoked and face criminal charges. After
the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established the right to
seek abortion as a fundamental right, millions of women across the United States are now at
risk of being prosecuted for having an abortion. States now have authority over abortion laws,
and some have outright prohibited the practice. Abortion rights activists in the United States
were outraged by the Supreme Court's decision. However, for those who hold conservative
Catholic beliefs or evangelical principles, the end of Roe was a spiritual victory as well as a
political one. This delight was also felt in the Philippines, where the Catholic Church is relatively
strong and prominent. The Supreme Court's decision was praised by local religious leaders and
organizations that publicly oppose abortion, divorce, and the use of modern contraception. Due
to this, many women in the Philippines are searching for other methods to abort unwanted or
unviable pregnancies, despite the risks involved. According to attorney Clara Rita Padilla, a
spokeswoman for the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN), the abortion law in
the Philippines has progressive interpretations, but there are no clear exceptions that would
allow pregnancies to be ended even in serious situations like rape and incest — or to save the
pregnant woman's life. According to a PINSAN report, 1.26 million abortions were carried out in
the country in 2020, endangering the lives and health of Filipina women. This number is
expected to rise. In order to preserve the lives of women, opponents argue that it is time for the
Philippines to repeal the "inhumane provisions" in its abortion law. According to senator Risa
Hontiveros, the new leader of the nation's opposition, "These regulations have only led to a
silent epidemic of unsafe abortions which have cost the lives of so many Filipina women."

Conclusion: