Abortion could have been safer for Filipinas—science has long shown how

Few issues in Philippine healthcare are as politicized as abortion. But beyond the legal debate, lies the danger often overlooked—the risk women face when access to an integral part of their reproductive care becomes inaccessible.

From a medical standpoint, World Health Organization (WHO) describes abortion as a simple health care intervention that ends a pregnancy. This fact lies in a medical procedure backed with decades of research and studies.

Stripped to science

Medical abortion, a nonsurgical way that terminates pregnancy in the first trimester, uses two medicines mifepristone and misoprostol, the only medications recommended by WHO.

Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone, causing the break down of the uterine lining and blocks the development of pregnancy, while misoprostol expels pregnancy tissue through uterine contractions, hence the cramping and bleeding.

While misoprostol alone can be used, WHO recommends the use of the two drugs, with mifepristone taken before misoprostol because of their effectivity and lower risk of incomplete abortion

Surgical abortion is another option performed by a trained healthcare provider that involves a gentle suction to empty the uterus, with the specific procedure depending on the stage of pregnancy. 

Despite its use in clinical practice and extensive scientific evidence, abortion remains illegal in the country—where the peril now lies in the persistent demand among Filipinas for access through unregulated means.

Cost of restriction

According to the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN), unsafe abortions hospitalize more than 250 women daily, where about three die from related complications.

This consequence has become more evident with the growing number of Filipinas resorting online to seek help in ending their pregnancies, whether by obtaining medications through the black market or following advice from unverified sources online.

It has reached a point where anonymous accounts in public Facebook groups openly offer pills or herbal drinks, along with images of expelled pregnancy tissue or sanitary pads soaked in blood clots as proof of effectiveness. 

Even a 65-year-old woman was apprehended in Quiapo for allegedly selling abortion pills.

“There have been documented cases of women binding their stomachs, inserting wire hangers into their cervix, or even asking people to kick them in attempts to induce abortion,” said lawyer Clara Padilla of PINSAN. 

United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has warned about this restriction not reducing the number of abortion cases, but only risking women’s health toward unsafe methods.

Even after an unsafe abortion, access to post-abortion care remains a challenge, as many health workers hesitate to provide treatment for fear of losing their licenses or being arrested.

Behind the counter

If these statistics point to one thing, it is that the restrictive abortion law in the country has placed a greater burden on Filipinas seeking to access safe reproductive care.

Safety in abortion care in the Philippines is decided by accessibility within a regulated healthcare system. 

When the system offers limited legal options, even to save a woman’s life when it’s at risk, women are only redirected to unsafe methods that are more likely to result in serious complications.

At this point, science is no longer the point of contention, it is whether basic healthcare remains out of reach.