Philippines: Difference between revisions

You will find many health care resources in the Philippines, and English is widely spoken. However, there are many restrictions, as views toward women's health are heavily influenced by Catholic Church doctrine. Contraceptives (birth control) is legal and can be purchased in pharmacies, with some brands being much cheaper than others. You can find birth control pills, condoms, shots, implants, IUDs, etc. in Manila. Emergency contraception (or "the morning after pill") is not permitted in the Philippines and Postinor, an emergency contraception, has been "delisted." However, women do use oral contraceptives are replacement emergency contraception, and we provide details of how this works in the "Emergency Contraception" section. There are many places to receive STI tests, the majority of which seem to focus on HIV, but you can get other tests done. It is recommended to get STI tests at confidential clinics or private clinics, since the public hospitals will generally report your results and keep them on file. There is no PrEP in the Philippines at this time. Regarding menstruation, you can find pads, pantyliners and tampons in Manila. If you are looking for menstrual cups, there may be one seller of Lunette in the Philippines, but your best bet is to buy menstrual cups online. The Philippines has begun to liberalize laws on maternity care in the past year. Finally, abortion is illegal and there is a prominent underground abortion industry, especially in Manila. While thousands of clandestine abortions are performed each year, many women die from botched abortions, as well, so it is recommended to exercise extreme caution if one is considering this path.  

Contraception (or "birth control") can be purchased in the Philippines without a prescription. While you technically do need a prescription, this does not seem to be widely enforced. However, there have been many challenges to birth control access, especially from the powerful Filipino Catholic Church. For many years, birth control pills were not legal at all, and they were treated like illegal contraband, exchanged between women. When they finally were legalized, the Catholic Church strongly campaigned against their access. It is estimated that over 80% of the Filipino population is Catholic, and the Catholic Church is opposed to birth control. Today, 37% of married women in the Philippines use modern contraception and 12% use traditional family planning methods (like withdrawal, the rhythm method and periodic abstinence).<ref>[https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/why-filipinas-cant-get-birth-controleven-though-its-now-free-by-law Why Filipinas Can't Get Birth Control—Even Though It's Now Free By Law]</ref>

In 2000, the Mayor of Manila banned contraceptive distribution in all city-funded health centers, and the ban lasted for nearly a decade.<ref>[http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-01-22/catholic-leaders-battle-against-free-birth-control-philippines Catholic leaders battle against free birth control in the Philippines]</ref> In a turn of tide, the Filipino government signed the Reproductive Health Law, under President Benigno Aquino III, in 2012. This law required that schools provide sex education, and that health centers provide free condoms and birth control. This law was heavily challenged by the Church and religious organizations, such as the Alliance for Family Foundation Philippines, resulting in a 2-year legal battle. In the end, the Filipino Supreme Court upheld the Reproductive Health Law in 2014. Nevertheless, conservative forces managed to cut the government's budget for contraceptives, thereby making contraceptives more difficult for poor Filipino families to afford, soon afterward.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/06/philippines-axes-contraceptive-budget-birth-control Philippines axes contraceptive budget]</ref> Most recently, President Duterte has vowed to bring back family planning programs to the Philippines, insisting that Filipino families are too large and that the Catholic Church has kept the populace "in total ignorance" about birth control.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/27/philippines-tough-guy-leader-defies-catholic-church-on-birth-control/ Philippines tough-guy leader defies Catholic Church on birth control]</ref>

The Philippines has one of the highest birth rates and maternal mortality rates in Asia. Teenage pregnancy has doubled in the past decade, and 10% of Filipina teenagers are wives or mothers.<ref>[https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/why-filipinas-cant-get-birth-controleven-though-its-now-free-by-law Why Filipinas Can't Get Birth Control—Even Though It's Now Free By Law]</ref> Some of this can be explained by low levels of family planning knowledge and access. According to a Guttmacher Institute Study, "In the Philippines, 37% of all births are either not wanted at the time of pregnancy or entirely unwanted, and 54% of all pregnancies are unintended. On average, Filipino women give birth to more children than they want (3.3 vs. 2.4 children), highlighting how difficult it is for a woman to meet her fertility desires. This is particularly striking among the poorest Filipino women, who have nearly two children more than they intend to have (5.2 vs. 3.3 children)."<ref>[https://www.guttmacher.org/report/unintended-pregnancy-and-unsafe-abortion-philippines-context-and-consequences UNMET NEED IS WIDESPREAD AND UNINTENDED PREGNANCY IS COMMON]</ref>

* It's unclear if they're still open, but a great resource is [https://www.facebook.com/Likhaan-Center-for-Womens-Health-117231408351798/ Likhaan Center for Women's Health]. They have been advocates for women's access to contraceptives in the Philippines since the 1990s.

In the Philippines, dedicated emergency contraception (the morning after pill) is not legal. However, women do manage to use oral contraceptives (birth control) as a replacement. To do this, they take a certain number of birth control pills, which has a similar effect as emergency contraception. You can see in the section below ("What to Get and Where to Get it") how this can done in the Philippines.

In the 1990s, Postinor (an emergency contraception brand) was registered in the Philippines. Yet, in 2001, Postinor was "delisted" by Filipino regulatory authorities. It is estimated today that 9.7% of Filipino women of reproductive age have knowledge of emergency contraception.<ref>[http://www.cecinfo.org/country-by-country-information/status-availability-database/countries/philippines/ EC Status and Availability: Philippines]</ref>

''Oral Contraceptives used for EC / Progestin-Estrogen Combined

''For the following pills, take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later:''

 

====Testing Facilities====

====Support====

There is currently no PrEP available in the Philippines.

In Filipino cities, you should be able to find pads, pantyliners and tampons. However, pads and pantyliners are much more common than tampons, and they're worn by the majority of Filipina women. If you want tampons, you should look for them in larger stores, especially international and chain stores, like Rustan’s Supermarket, Watson’s, Mercury Drugstore, S&R and the SM Department Stores. If you're interested in menstrual cups, one of the main sellers in the Philippines is [https://tackthis.ph/shop/MamaBabyLove/product/lunette-menstrual-cup Mama Baby Love], which sells Lunette in the Philippines, or [https://www.liveloveluna.com/ LiveLoveLuna], which sells Lunette out of Singapore and ships throughout Asia. Also, certain Facebook groups, like [https://www.facebook.com/groups/tipidnanay/ Tipid Nanay] and [https://www.facebook.com/groups/pasabuy/ Parent's Circle Pasa-Buy], have group buys of menstrual cups. There appears to be no official sellers of DivaCup, MoonCup or LadyCup, so those brands probably need to be purchased online.

Personal Experiences or Testimonials:

* If you are interested in receiving a legal abortion, you may consider visiting [[Vietnam]], [[China]] or [[Japan]], where they are legally performed.

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