(January 28, 2022) – Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Thursday said he would not support moves to legalize abortion in the country, including cases where the victim was raped, if he wins as president in the 2022 elections, citing his conviction that life must always be respected.
Moreno, the standard-bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko, insisted that the woman must think about the life developing inside her womb but he recognized that the situation of a victim of rape or incest is harsh.
“Naaawa ako sa ganung sitwasyon pero hindi ako Diyos para kumuha ng buhay ng tao. Diyos ang nagbigay ng buhay. Diyos lamang ang puwedeng kumuha nito,” said Moreno in an interview with talk show host Boy Abunda.
Instead, the 47-year-old politician, who grew up in poverty, said he would support efforts to promote family planning.
“Life is life to me,” insisted Moreno. “Ayoko ng abortion. But I am pro-choice in terms of other things like kung ano ‘yung mga accessible na puwedeng ibigay ng estado para sa family planning. But when there is life already, nobody should take it away kasi ipinagkaloob ng Diyos ‘yun.”
The Philippines, whose population is largely made up of the Catholic faithful, is one of the countries in the world where abortion remains illegal. Advocacy groups have repeatedly urged lawmakers to decriminalize abortion to save women from unsafe practices.
In 2020, the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network launched an initiative to repeal the penal provision on abortion which subjects women to a possible jail time of up to six years. Those who are proven to have performed an abortion procedure may face a much longer prison time of two decades under current laws.
Vice President Leni Robredo, an independent presidential bet, said she remains “very conflicted” about abortion but said she’s open to decriminalizing it to prevent perilous operations.
“Kasi ako my faith teaches me na bawal talaga ‘yung magpatay,” said Robredo. “Pero sa akin, bukas akong pag-usapan ‘yung decriminalization ng abortion. I would like to listen to more people about it.”
Sen. Ping Lacson of Partido Reporma said the country needs to look into studies to gather information about abortion’s long-term implications. Former senator Bongbong Marcos Jr. of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, meanwhile, said he’s open to allowing rape victims to undergo a safe and legal abortion.
Unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths around the world, aside from severe bleeding, infections, high blood pressure, and delivery complications, according to the World Health Organization. It emphasized that women must have access to safe abortion and post-abortion care.
Records show that around 8% to 11% of maternal deaths are related to abortion, according to Human Rights Watch.
“If there’s a therapeutic abortion that’s existing, then let’s have a therapeutic way of dealing and helping the mother with an unwanted child,” said Moreno.
(PM)
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