MANILA, Philippines — The Catholic Church’s staunch opposition to the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act has stalled the law’s enforcement for the last seven years, to the detriment of millions of women and their families. 10354, the Reproductive Health (RH) Law, the Church and other religious and allied groups have hindered its rollout by questioning in the Supreme Court its constitutionality, invoking the state’s responsibility to protect the life of the unborn child. ADVERTISEMENTIt would take the high court more than a year to rule in April 2014 that the law was not unconstitutional. Sanctions struck downIt, however, struck down eight provisions, including the one that sanctions public officials who refuse to support reproductive health programs or hinder their implementation. “The result was that the speedy and effective implementation of the [Reproductive Health] Law has been stalled in the meantime,” the FDA said in a statement in July 2017.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 21, 2019 23:15 UTC