Slides intended for interactive discussion on the policy process behind the Philippines' Reproductive Health law (RA 10354), following the framework of Walt and Gilson (1994)'s health policy triangle and the legislative threshold of Gray (2004).
2. Dissecting the RH Law Policy Process: Outline
1. Review of the power play involved using the ‘health
policy triangle’
2. Overcoming the legislation threshold
3. Values enshrined in law vs scientific evidence
14. “
With the rise of the Hebrew state,
a new term had to be coined to describe
the relation of the Hebrew state with the Mosaic religion: theocracy.
The authority and power of the state was ascribed to God.
The Mosaic creed was not merely regarded
as the religion of the state,
it was (at least until Saul) the state itself…
As man of God, Moses decided
when the people should travel and when to pitch camp,
when they should make war and when peace...
religious motivation was primary and all-embracing:
sacrifices were made and Israel was prohibited from exacting usury, mistreating aliens or
using false weights,
all because God commanded these.
Estrada v. Escritor, A.M. No. P-02-1651 (2003)
15. “
There was a union of church and state
and Catholicism was the state religion
under the Spanish Constitution of 1876.
Civil authorities exercised religious functions
and the friars exercised civil powers...
The coming of the Americans to our country, however,
changed this state-church scheme for with the advent of this regime,
the unique American experiment
of separation of church and state
was transported to Philippine soil.
Estrada v. Escritor, A.M. No. P-02-1651 (2003)
16. “
The Catholic Church hierarchy has maintained
its traditional stance against modern family planning (FP) methods,
particularly modern (also referred to as “artificial”) contraceptives…
Caught between a hard Church and a soft State
are the overwhelming majority of Filipinos…
Pernia et al. (2008)
http://holesinthefoam.us/state-vs-church/
18. Factors in Health Policy Change
OLD
POLICY
NEW
POLICY
Ideological
inspirations
Change in
circumstances
Evidence
Common
sense
From
research
From experience
Reference: Gray, 2004 (Fig 7.8, p. 291; p. 292)
NOTE: Policy makers operate on a timescale that
does not generally admit of delays that research
will take.
19. The Legislation Threshold
Oppositiontolegislation
Reference: Gray, 2004 (Fig 7.9, p. 296)
There is an inverse relationship between the
magnitude of a health problem and the strength of
opposition to legislation framed to prevent it.
Number of people affected
Media interest
Strong evidence
Opposition by “industry”
Policy has adverse effects
High cost of intervention
20. Values (?) Dominate Policy-making
▣Politics tends to be driven by beliefs patronage
▣It is the values returns on investment (ROI) politicians believe to be
important that dominate decision-making about policy. Such decisions
will be tempered by the availability of resources.
▣But, resource allocation can also be based on beliefs and values
patronage and ROI
▣Can a shortage of resources force policy-makers to consider the
evidence and alter policy as a result?
Reference: Gray, 2004 (p. 287)
22. “
...the issue before this honorable court
is not when life begins…
The Constitution, in Article II, Section 12
textually commands the State
to protect the life of the unborn from conception
– but it does not define the term “conception”.
While delegates to the 1986 Constitutional Commission
disagreed as to its meaning, they agreed that
Article II, Section 12 was intended
to constitutionally bar any congress or any court
from ever adopting in this jurisdiction
the decision of the United States Supreme Court
in the case of Roe v. Wade.
Solicitor General Francis H. Jardeleza,
at the Oral Arguments on Imbong v. Ochoa
23. “
...when life begins is not the issue…
twenty-six years after the advent of Article II,Section 12 –
and that is a quarter of a century of advances
in science and medicine,
Congress passed the RH Law.
Even then, the Congress, just like the Constitutional Commission,
was divided on the question of when life begins.
Congress chose not to answer the question.
Solicitor General Francis H. Jardeleza,
at the Oral Arguments on Imbong v. Ochoa
24. “
The constitutional question at hand is:
whether or not the Congress,
in the exercise of its police power,
enact[ed] the RH Law –
a social legislation that provides women
with universal access to effective, legal,
non-abortifacient contraceptive drugs and devices, and to services
and information thereon.
Solicitor General Francis H. Jardeleza,
at the Oral Arguments on Imbong v. Ochoa
25. “
Majority of the Members of the Court
are of the position that
the question of [when] life begins
is a scientific and medical issue
that should not be decided, at this stage,
without proper hearing and evidence…
From the Decision in Imbong v. Ochoa
26. The RH Law is Not Unconstitutional, but…
1. The requirement to refer patients
seeking MFP methods is
restricted
2. Parental consent is needed for
minors to access MFP methods
3. Health care providers not
disseminating information on RH
cannot be punished
4. The consent of the spouse is
required for married individuals to
undergo RH procedures
5. Health care providers not
referring non-emergent patients
for RH services or information
cannot be punished
6. Any public officer hindering full
RH implementation or not
supporting RH cannot be
punished
7. Any conscientious objector
cannot be required to render pro-
bono service to be accredited by
PhilHealth
8. An abortifacient is any drug or
device that can destroy a fetus or
prevent the implantation of a
fertilized ovum
9. Health service providers who will
require parental consent from
minors not in emergencies or
serious situations cannot be
punished
29. Credits
Special thanks to all the people who made and
released these awesome resources for free:
▣ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
▣ Justice icons by Arthur Shlain
▣ Photographs by Unsplash
Notes de l'éditeur
Note: in the demographic perspective, context = overpopulation. In the health perspective, context = high maternal mortality.
Note: in the demographic perspective, context = overpopulation. In the health perspective, context = high maternal mortality.
Image from: http://grey.com/philippines/news/key/inakup-araw/id/3784/
Family planning is just one of the many components of ‘reproductive health care’
Image from http://jsi.ge/eng/facts/birthcontrol.php
Population, Poverty, Politics and the Reproductive Health Bill
Image from: http://holesinthefoam.us/state-vs-church/
The law is harsh but it is the law
Although the idea underpinning the introduction of any organizational change may reflect the ideology of the political party in power, or that of an individual, pressure group or think tank, the decision taken can be based on evidence.
The nature of the evidence may be: (1) the experience of what happened since the last change in service financing and organization; or (2) derived from research findings.
However, the amount of research evidence available on which to base healthcare policy is often limited, and politicians may argue that the introduction of a particular policy is supported by common sense.
Reference: Gray, 2004 (p. 291)
Strong evidence is now a necessary prerequisite before any public health policy can be introduced, but the converse is not true: the existence of strong evidence indicating the need for a public health policy does not necessarily result in such a policy being introduced.
Greater obstacles are faced when using the law to implement a public health policy with the aim of protecting individuals from their own inclinations – the paternalistic role of law. (Example: Tobacco policy; next up: salt & sugar.) Powerful evidence is needed to show that such legislation is not only effective but also safe.
Evidence-based policy making is of paramount importance in developing countries. However, the availability of research evidence may be limited because the performance of RCTs (i.e., Implementation Research) in countries with limited resources can be problematic.
Reference: Gray, 2004 (p. 297)