“Positive Effects and Impact of Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines”

As previously mentioned, there are many laws and regulations that interfere with a woman’s right to reproductive

We live in a democracy. Every four years the people of America have the opportunity of voting for someone who best represents their political views and who they feel is best fit to run our country. Whoever is elected into office, has the power of implementing policies and regulations to help run the country smoother. Under the Obama administration, birth control is covered by all insurance companies with exceptions. However, under Trump 's administration they are making plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that has the potential of not allowing full or partial coverage of birth control. This an issue that has plagued the woman’s community whose intentions of contractive use is not solely based off of the reason, to try and

”The rate of sterilization found in this study was twenty-three percent overall, is slightly less than the twenty-five percent rate found in the previous similar study” (Boroditsky, Fisher and Sand). “Minority women, who more frequently experience unintended pregnancy, may choose tubal sterilization in response to prior experiences with an unintended pregnancy” (Unintended Pregnancy …). Doctors should not sterilize anyone who is not able to make the decision on their own and let them decide for them self. “Take steps to ensure all women enjoy full sexual and reproductive rights and have access to full range of acceptable reproductive health service” (Forced sterilization).

Birth control has been a controversial topic since the 1960’s, when the pill arose on the scene and gained popularity. Men and women of certain religious faiths have sought to prevent other women from using birth control. However, most women want to be able to choose when the time is right for them to have a child. This is why birth control is essential, because it allows women and couples in general the freedom to choose and plan their families. In many cases the need to control women by controlling their access to birth control goes all the way to the federal government. The federal government determines what types of birth control are allowed on the market and who has access to them. Some Presidential administrations look more kindly

Congress is the only branch of government that can "make laws". (Lenz,2013) Though Congress is part of the law making process they are not the ones who actually "make the law" but oversees the law or passes it. With that being said the law is not a law when it begins it is first a sponsored Bill. The Bill that was sponsored by Senator Roger Wicker on the 17th of March, 2015 is the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 which was introduced to Senate.(Congress.gov, n.d.) This Bill states in Section 3 that it will prohibit federal funds for a one-year period for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates or clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. The restriction will not apply to cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must seek repayment if federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. or any affiliate or clinic, if it violates the terms of the certification required by the Act. Section 4 reads Additional funding for community health centers is provided for the one-year period described above.(Congress.gov,2016) This is the first step of creating the law. The second step is it being assigned to a committee for consideration. The committee the Bill was assigned to the Senate- Committee on Commerce,

he most significant reason against this policy includes the violation of female rights in behalf of the government deciding the number of infants a family have to have and the increment of crime against women. Since, 1979 the law has prevented around 250 million births since ultrasound tests and abortions became easier to access (Doc E). Also, since ultrasound tests are more accessible this policy created sex discrimination and the number of abortions increased since they could find out earlier if they were expecting a male or female (Doc E). It is imperative to mention that since there's fewer woman, woman became more vulnerable to suffer a crime against them and it represents the power the government is capable of using. This information

The target population may be Planned Parenthood (PP) as an entity, but the policy will affect the clients that depend on PP for services. If House Bill 294 passes, it will end federal funding to Planned Parenthood (House Bill 294, 2015). Planned Parenthood provides services to Medicaid recipients and other individuals with little to no income. The services provided by PP include providing free or low-cost contraceptives, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment (Planned Parenthood, 2016). The population who loses if this policy is passed are the individuals living in poverty and medically underserved areas since they are over half of PP clients (Heisler, 2016). They are already disadvantaged by not having sufficient medical services in the area; Planned Parenthood is one of the key resources that are specifically planted in low-income areas to be accessible to this diverse population. With the easy access to contraceptives being lost, pregnancy will be on the rise along with STDs, since treatment will no longer be provided in a quick and easy manner. For an already impoverished and oppressed community these consequences could be dire.

Of the number of women who obtain contraception care at clinics, more than one-third of them use Planned Parenthood (Marcus). With the removal of these services, there would be a drastic increase in the number of unplanned pregnancies. Each year, Planned Parenthood prevents an estimated 516,000 unexpected pregnancies (Strickland). Not only would the number of unplanned pregnancies increase, but the awareness of sexual education would decrease, as Planned Parenthood provides sex education to 1.5 million people each year (Strickland). While it is easy to assume that women would be able to get access elsewhere, it is simply not feasible. The magnitude at which Planned Parenthood extends its services would not easily be matched. The inability to provide contraception to the women who would go unprovided would create a detrimental problem in the government that is trying to defund the

Despite this attempt, legal abortion access for Canadian women, especially for those who are in rural or remote communities, remains difficult due to the many different barriers, such as not enough of abortionists, unknowledgeable hospital staff, far distance, and high costs. In fact, only 15% of the country’s accredited hospitals had decided to provide the abortion services; in the province of Prince Edward Island, not even a single approved hospital offers the abortion service. Furthermore, anyone who lives in the north has to travel far distance in order to get surgery because most of the hospitals which offer abortion services are usually located within 150km from the US border. Hence, it is very costly and time consuming to travel for the ones who do not live in the city.

It has been over 25 years since the Supreme Court of Canada decriminalized abortion. In 1988 the court declared that section 251 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which did not allow women access to abortion services without the consent of a physician, infringed on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These rights guarantee the “security of person” which the court determined included access to medical care and procedures that include abortion services (Bourgeois, 23). In principle the amendment of this law has been instrumental for women’s rights and their autonomy in reproductive health decisions, but in practice this might not be the case.

Planned Parenthood has been one of the biggest discussions since the early 1900’s. Many argue about whether the government should continue funding this program. For the reasons of whether it is moral to have an abortion, does abortion affect a women’s health, and what are the positive and negative impacts that result from this situation. The government should continue funding planned parenthood, because if not, women would be forced to take drastic measures, women’s rights would be taken away, and as a result could affect the child negatively throughout its life.

Debates are ongoing in the United States as more laws and restrictions are implemented on reproductive care. In 2014 there was a heated debate on whether there should be a mandated coverage for birth control on health insurance plans. According to a survey by the University of Michigan Health System, 69% of adults in the United States support this requirement in health insurance plans and the people who oppose this requirement is less than 10%. There have been other laws made by states recently that are affecting birth control and abortions. For example, a regulation implemented by the Iowa Board of Medicine requires a physician to be physically present when providing a medication abortion; therefore, affecting patients that live in rural area and can not go to the clinics. Such laws on reproductive health care, specifically birth control and abortions, are affecting the access and choices women have. Laws are created to protect rights and choices; therefore, these laws should be created with the intention of protecting women’s rights and choices not hindering them.

The topic of women’s reproductive rights has become a major, controversial issue in today’s society. Grounded in a history of opposition for religious, political, and moral reasons, reproductive rights have only legally been around for a short period of history. Specifically, the landmark case Roe v. Wade was the major stride that this country took towards enforcing women’s reproductive rights. The ruling for this case determined that reproductive rights are legal rights women hold, inclusive of the right to have abortions. However, many laws today are made in an effort to prevent abortions, acting as “undue burdens” that aim to create obstacles for women who seek this type of medical procedure.

A group known as FP2020 has been working to make family planning services available throughout the world. Through their efforts, they have avoided 77 million unplanned pregnancies in just three years. In the United States, a similar problem needs to be addressed. Although the costs and expenses associated with contraception is more accessible for the population, the locations are not. Having access to family planning services ensures that women can get the prenatal care they need for healthy pregnancies.

Women’s reproductive rights are a global issue in today’s world. Women have to fight to have the right to regulate their own bodies and reproductive choices, although in some countries their voices are ignored. Abortion, sterilization, contraceptives, and family planning services all encompass this global issue of women’s reproductive rights.