Law Summary
Declaration of Policy
- Recognizes human rights including equality, nondiscrimination, right to health, education, and decision-making autonomy.
- Protects the family as the basic social institution and defends the lives of the mother and unborn from conception.
- Guarantees universal access to medically safe, legal, effective, non-abortifacient reproductive health services and supplies.
- Prioritizes poor and marginalized sectors, especially those identified by national poverty targeting systems.
- Promotes gender equality, women empowerment, and dignity in reproductive health.
- Recognizes marriage as an inviolable social institution and protects rights related to family welfare.
Guiding Principles for Implementation
- Emphasizes free and informed consent without coercion.
- Promotes ethical, medically safe reproductive health services integrated as basic health care.
- Ensures access to all family planning methods respecting religious and cultural beliefs.
- Prioritizes programs for maternal and child health, social justice, and sustainable human development.
- Supports scientific studies and equitable resource allocation.
- Encourages partnership among government, NGOs, private sector, and communities.
- Prohibits demographic population targets.
Definitions
- Provides detailed definitions for key terms including abortifacient, adolescent, family planning, reproductive health, reproductive health care and rights, gender equality/equity, skilled birth attendance, etc.
- Clarifies medical and programmatic concepts such as Basic and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care, male responsibility, maternal death review, and reproductive tract infections.
Hiring of Skilled Health Professionals
- LGUs must hire adequate nurses, midwives, and health professionals for maternal health and skilled birth attendance.
- Midwives and nurses permitted to administer lifesaving drugs under emergency conditions if properly trained.
Healthcare Facilities
- LGUs must establish or upgrade hospitals to provide emergency obstetric and newborn care with necessary personnel and equipment.
- People in isolated or depressed areas must have equal access through alternate means like mobile clinics.
Access to Family Planning
- Accredited public health facilities must provide a full range of modern family planning methods including for infertility.
- Private facilities may offer services to paying customers while referring indigents appropriately.
- No person shall be denied family planning information and access; minors require parental consent except if they are parents or have had miscarriages.
Maternal and Infant Death Reviews
- Annual reviews are mandatory to analyze causes of fatalities and improve reproductive health services.
Philippine National Drug Formulary
- Includes safe, legal, non-abortifacient family planning supplies.
- Emergency contraceptives and abortifacients are prohibited from government procurement.
Procurement and Distribution of Family Planning Supplies
- DOH coordinates procurement and distribution of family planning supplies nationwide.
- LGUs may implement programs consistent with DOH guidelines.
Integration in Anti-Poverty Programs
- Reproductive health programs prioritized for poor and marginalized women.
- DOH provides technical support to LGUs for implementation.
PhilHealth Benefits
- Coverage includes serious and life-threatening reproductive health conditions.
Mobile Health Care Service
- Provision of mobile units equipped to deliver reproductive health services and information, prioritizing poor and needy.
Reproductive Health Education
- Age- and development-appropriate education for adolescents integrated in formal and nonformal systems.
- Curriculum includes values formation, gender issues, responsible behavior, and reproductive health topics.
Certificate of Compliance
- Marriage license issuance conditioned on presenting proof of responsible parenthood instruction.
Capacity Building of Barangay Health Workers
- DOH and LGUs responsible for training and equipping barangay health workers for reproductive health promotion.
- Additional funding provided for effective implementation.
Pro Bono Services for Indigent Women
- Private reproductive health providers encouraged to render annual free services to indigents, especially pregnant adolescents.
Programs for Persons with Disabilities
- Measures to remove barriers to reproductive health services and increase accessibility for PWDs.
Duties and Responsibilities
- DOH serves as lead agency ensuring implementation and quality standards.
- Coordination with PHIC, FDA, NGOs, private sector for service delivery.
- FDA regulates contraceptives, corporate prudence required in advertising.
Public Awareness
- Nationwide multimedia campaigns to promote reproductive health and rights.
- Materials to be regularly reviewed for relevance and effectiveness.
Reporting Requirements
- Annual report to President and Congress assessing program implementation and recommending actions.
Congressional Oversight Committee
- Established to monitor effective implementation, recommend remedial measures, and review the Act every five years.
Prohibited Acts
- Prohibits withholding information, refusal to provide services, coercion in reproductive health matters.
- Prohibits employers from mandating reproductive health methods as employment conditions.
- Prohibits falsification of compliance certificates and collusion in procurement.
Penalties
- Violations punishable by imprisonment, fines, or both.
- Additional penalties for public officers include suspension or removal.
- Disqualification and revocation of licenses for offending pharmaceutical companies.
- Deportation for alien offenders post-sentence.
Appropriations
- Funding through existing health appropriations and Gender and Development funds.
- Additional sums to be included in subsequent budgets for upgrading facilities, training, and commodities.
Implementing Rules and Regulations
- To be promulgated within 60 days by a multi-agency committee with NGO representation.
Interpretation Clause
- Act to be liberally construed to ensure access and promotion of reproductive health and rights.
Separability Clause
- Invalidity of any provision does not affect other parts of the Act.
Repealing Clause
- Repeals inconsistent laws and issuances except laws prohibiting abortion.
Effectivity
- Act takes effect 15 days after publication in newspapers of general circulation.