Pickets, Pins and Pink Ribbons Illustrate Women's Demand for Reproductive Health in Congress

Tying pink ribbons, and distributing pins, women from urban poor communities held picket at the House of Representatives to illustrate their support for the Reproductive Health Bill set to be tackled at the plenary today.Vicenta Calvo, Gabriela Women’s Party Secretary General said, “we cannot emphasize the need to pass the RH bill into law enough. The inaccessibility of healthcare due to the high cost of medicines, privatization of healthcare facilities impacts largely on women from the poorest communities.”
 
The women’s partylist group stressed, that out of 19.4 million Filipino women of child bearing age, an estimated 1.73 million ( 8.9%) did not have access to prenatal care from skilled birth attendants. Eleven women die everyday due to childbirth related complications. The Philippines has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region.
 
Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan who is set to deliver her sponsorship on the measure this afternoon said, “We strongly urge our colleagues to support the passage of this bill.”
 
“HB4244 is a progressive piece of legislation that will bring women’s demands for healthcare services a notch forward.”#