Abortion’s illegal in the Catholic majority Philippines, so more than a million women a year turn to other options

“We take on huge risks if we agree to perform an abortion,” said Miriam, who is using an alias to protect herself from prosecution in the Philippines. She has performed four abortions on women aged 23 to 48 — all in secret.Abortion is illegal in the Philippines — a majority Catholic country and former American colony — and has been for over a century. Under the law, women found to have aborted their fetuses face prison terms of between two to six years.Doctors and nurses caught performing abortions or providing assistance are also subject to harsh punishment by the state. “We risk losing our medical licenses and would also face charges in court,” Miriam said.In an interview conducted earlier in January, then-presidential hopeful Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shared his views on abortion and said he would legalize it for “severe cases.” “I think that if it can be shown that (victims) were raped and it was not consensual sex that got them pregnant then they should have the choice to abort or not. The other is incest perhaps,” said Marcos Jr. — who has since been elected President. He also said he was “more concerned about deaths caused by unsafe abortions” than opposition from church leaders. “It is a woman’s decision because it is her body.” Advocates and lawmakers welcomed his liberal attitude towards abortion. “Restricting abortion does not stop it, it actually makes it more dangerous and we have seen this play out across the world,” said Parcon of PINSAN.”Marcos raised it during his election campaign and to us, this was the furthest we have reached so far, and if he says he will make it a priority, then we must call him to account.” Senator Hontiveros said she welcomed the new President’s “openness” in supporting changes to Philippine abortion laws. “This gives hope that we can soon decriminalize abortion and reform our laws in consideration of the realities faced by Filipina women and families alike,” she said. “However, I (am) waiting to see if his words reflect a genuine commitment to uphold women’s rights. For the sake of Filipina women everywhere, I hope that they do.”