- Press Statements
Rep. Edcel C. Lagman
Mobile No. 0916-6406737 / 0918-9120137
21 September 2011
Minority Leader Edcel C. Lagman lauded today the eight women lawmakers comprising the newly launched “Soul Sisters” for RH for their “remarkable courage and unwavering determination in pushing for the passage of a reproductive health law.”
Lagman says he is not surprised at the commitment and daring shown by his women colleagues. “I have always believed that a pro-woman measure like the RH bill will have no dearth of women supporters,” the Albay solon declared.
“The ‘Soul Sisters’ will not only be a breath of fresh air in the RH debates. These strong and accomplished women will be indispensable to the imminent passage of the RH bill into law,” Lagman added.
Representatives Kimi Cojuangco, Sandy Ocampo, Josephine Lacson-Noel, Abigail Faye Ferriol, Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Emily Aglipay, Sharon Garin and Janet Garin compose the “Soul Sisters”.
Lagman also stated that “the Church can continue on its mission to save souls but the State, with the help of the Soul Sisters and other RH advocates in the Congress, must pursue unhampered a program which reduces maternal and infant mortality in the secular realm.”
Lagman underscored that House Bill No. 4244 or the proposed “Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act” will promote maternal and infant health even as it will help prevent the deaths of thousands of mothers and babies annually.
In the Philippines, 11 mothers die daily and the lifetime risk of maternal death in the country is 1 in 140, compared to 1 in 8,000 for women in developed countries. RH advocates maintain that universal access to reproductive health information and services will help improve overall health while it will also ultimately help reduce poverty.
Studies by the WHO, UNDP and UNFPA confirm that correct and consistent use of contraceptives will prevent one-third of all maternal deaths. Lagman explained that family planning will have a direct effect on maternal mortality by reducing the number of high-risk pregnancies. “Family planning will help women who are at a higher risk of maternal death avoid unplanned pregnancies,” he said.
Lagman also stressed that the RH bill will prevent maternal deaths by improving access to both basic and emergency obstetric care and skilled assistance at birth.
According to the WHO, four out of five maternal deaths are the direct result of obstetric complications, most of which could be averted through delivery with a skilled birth attendant and access to emergency obstetric care.
He added that the RH bill will also most definitely help lower the incidence of abortion by preventing unplanned, mistimed and unwanted pregnancies which are the ones being terminated through induced abortion. Moreover, he said that research by the Allan Guttmacher Institute shows that contraceptive use reduces abortion rates by 85%.
According to the WHO and the medical journal Lancet, about 90 per cent of worldwide abortion-related deaths and disabilities could be avoided if women who wanted effective contraception had access to it.
