Philippines Government Cuts Funding for Contraception

The Philippine legislature has stopped funding free birth control pills, IUDs and condoms, the Philippines Inquirer reported. Health Secretary Janette Garin told the Philippine Star that the department was seeking private donors to continue the program “since a lot of mothers depend on what the department of health provides.”

According to the Associated Press, statistics released in March confirmed that contraception use had increased since coverage through the Reproductive Health Law was declared constitutional in 2014. The data reflected that 45 percent of couples used modern contraception in 2015, compared to 38 percent in 2013.