Fact Sheet July 2013

Unintended Pregnancy and Unsafe In the Philippines

CONTRACEPTIVE USE IS LOW • Little progress has been made toward that 560,000 occurred in 2008 • In 2011, 49% of married Filipino reducing the proportion of married and 610,000 abortions took place in 2012. women were using any method of contra- women who want to avoid pregnancy but • Women who have abortions are similar ception, slightly higher than the propor- are not using a method of contraception. to Filipino women overall: They are typi- tion in 1998 (47%), but lower than the The proportion of married women with cally Catholic, married, are mothers and proportion in 2008 (51%). an unmet need for contraception was the have at least a high school education. same in 2011 as it was in 1998. • Many women are unable to achieve The most common reason women give for their desired family size, in part because • Unmarried women who are sexually having an abortion is their inability to af- modern method use is low. On average, active have a significantly higher level of ford raising a child. Other commonly cited Filipino women give birth to more chil- unmet need than married women. Nearly reasons are that they felt they already had dren than they want (3.3 vs. 2.4 chil- half of unmarried sexually active women at enough children or that their pregnancy dren), highlighting how difficult it is for risk of an unintended pregnancy were not came too soon after their last birth. a woman to meet her fertility desires. using contraception. • Nearly all abortions are clandestine and • The gap between achieved fertility and • In 2008, 54% of all pregnancies in carry associated risks, though the skill desired fertility is particularly striking the Philippines—nearly 2 million—were and training of providers vary. Although among the poorest Filipino women who unintended and 90% of those unintended some women are able to obtain medically have nearly two more children than they pregnancies occurred among women who recommended procedures, many resort want (5.2 vs. 3.3). were using traditional, ineffective meth- to untrained providers who use danger- ods or no method at all. ous methods, putting the health of the • Though married Filipino women showed woman at serious risk. a modest increase in modern method use • A 2009 study of the benefits of meeting between 1998 and 2011 (28% vs. 37%), contraceptive needs concluded that if • Poor Filipino women are significantly the latter rate was substantially lower all Filipino women at risk for unintended more likely than nonpoor women to use than the average for Southeastern Asia pregnancy used a modern method, un- riskier methods of abortion and they (55%) and the rates in other populous planned births would decline by 800,000 therefore disproportionately experience countries such as Indonesia (57%), per year and there would be 500,000 severe complications. Vietnam (68%) and Thailand (79%). fewer abortions per year. • According to the 2004 national abor- • Among married women using any form CLANDESTINE ABORTION IS WIDE- tion study, an estimated 22% of poor of contraception, one in four use a tra- SPREAD IN THE PHILIPPINES Filipino women used a catheter or heavy ditional, less-effective method, such as • The Philippines abortion law is among abdominal pressure in an abortion at- periodic abstinence. the strictest in the world. Abortion is tempt, while no nonpoor women resorted illegal under all circumstances and there to such methods. Moreover, poor women UNMET NEED FOR CONTRACEPTION IS are no explicit exceptions. Nonetheless, were far less likely to use safer methods, HIGH AND UNINTENDED PREGNANCY because of high levels of unintended such as dilation and curettage (D&C) or IS COMMON pregnancy, abortion is common in the manual vacuum aspiration (MVA), than • In 2011, nearly 20% of married Filipino country. Projections that were based on the nonpoor (13% vs. 55%). women had an unmet need for contracep- the national abortion rate in 2000 (the tion; these women did not want a child • About 1,000 Filipino women die each most recent available) and that took into soon or wanted to stop having children year from abortion complications, which account population increase estimated all together, but were not using any con- contributes to the nation’s high maternal traceptive method. mortality rate. Projections that • The law requires the provision RECOMMENDATIONS • Ensure that all women have were based on data from 2000 of “humane and nonjudgmental • Educate the public about access to emergency obstetric indicate that over 100,000 postabortion care.” The law modern contraceptives and the and neonatal care. women were hospitalized for also prohibits private provid- risks of unintended pregnancy • Study the impact of the cur- abortion complications in 2012; ers, local government officials and unsafe abortion. rent abortion ban, and explore countless others suffered com- and employers from banning, • Ensure adequate funding for allowing abortion at least in plications that went untreated. restricting or coercing the use the full range of contraceptive exceptional cases, such as to of reproductive health services. • The stigma surrounding methods, as well as counseling, save a woman’s life or preserve abortion makes it difficult for • As of early 2013, implementa- so that women can find and use her health, in cases of or women to seek postabortion tion of the RH Law was delayed the methods that are most suit- , and when there is gross care. Some women report feel- by the Philippines Supreme able to their needs. fetal deformity incompatible ing shamed and intimidated by Court. Still, the passage of with life. • Eliminate barriers to contra- health care workers and in some the bill represents a historic ception among vulnerable popu- For more information on un- cases, women are not given milestone. intended pregnancy and abortion lations—such as poor women, pain relievers or anesthetics in the Philippines see Unintended • In contrast to the liberal- rural women and adolescents— or are denied treatment all pregnancy and unsafe abortion izing trend in contraceptive by making clinics more acces- together. Others report being in the Philippines: context and policy, abortion in the Philip- sible and youth-friendly and consequences, In Brief, New York: threatened that they would be pines remains illegal under all by providing free or low-cost Guttmacher Institute, 2013, No. turned over to the police. 3.

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July 2013