緊急署名要請　マニラでの女性に対する戦争を終結させよう

フィリピン・マニラで、避妊・家族計画が事実上全面的禁止になる危機に直面しています。
女性差別撤廃委員会にこのような法を撤廃し、またすべての人がリプロダクティブ・ヘルスサービスサービスを享受でき、政府がそのための予算を拠出するよう求める下記の署名にご協力お願いします。
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Representative's Name and Title
Country
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Please review the attached petition and then sign on to the urgent action request by forwarding us your:

Organization's Name
Representative's Name and Title
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Please send your signature to cedawpetition＠reprorights.org before 13 November.

URGENT ACTION REQUEST
October 2009
To: The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee)
We the undersigned write to express deep concern regarding the grave violations being perpetrated in Manila City by the Republic of the Philippines (Philippine government) against women and their families. In 2000, former Manila City Mayor Jose “Lito” Atienza, Jr. introduced Executive Order No. 003: Declaring Total Commitment and Support to the Responsible Parenthood Movement in the City of Manila and Enunciating Policy Declarations in Pursuit Thereof (the EO). Implementation of this EO has effectively resulted in a ban on modern contraceptives from all Manila public health facilities and a denial of information or referrals for family planning services. The impact of the EO on the lives and health of Filipino women is far-reaching, with particularly dire economic, social, physical and psychological consequences for low-income women in Manila City.
Nearly half of all Filipino women have an unmet need for contraception. According to the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey, the total contraceptive prevalence rate among all women was 31.6% (any method), but only 21.6% used modern methods. Notably, the contraceptive prevalence rate in the Philippines is far lower than that in neighboring countries in the region. The Philippine government’s refusal to subsidize family planning programs that provide access to information about and supplies of modern contraceptives, has devastating consequences for low-income women in Manila, most of whom simply cannot afford to purchase their own contraceptive supplies. Given that poverty is both more widespread in the Philippines and more persistent than in other neighboring South East Asian counties, and that approximately 30% of Filipinos live under the poverty line, the effects of the EO are tremendous. Denying poor women access to contraceptives services only further entrenches them and their families in poverty.
The undersigned submit that the violations of human rights resulting from the implementation of the Manila City EO constitute violations of rights guaranteed by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), as well as other international human rights treaties. In particular, the continued existence and implementation of the EO perpetuates discrimination against women and violates their rights to life, health, non-discrimination, self-determination and bodily integrity, education, an adequate standard of living, freedom from violence, freedom of religion and belief, and the right to promote and protect human rights. Moreover, the EO is grounded in religious ideology and reinforces traditional stereotypes of women as simply mothers and child bearers, in contravention of CEDAW. On a practical level, the EO has harmed women by causing unwanted pregnancies, which in turn, have contributed to the high incidence of unsafe abortion and maternal mortality and morbidity. The Center for Reproductive Rights has also documented many cases where the EO has resulted in increased hunger and poverty for women and their families. These stark violations confirm the Philippine government’s failure to respect, protect and fulfill women’s human rights.
Unfortunately, the Philippines does not have a national sexual and reproductive health law, and attempts to pass such legislation have repeatedly failed. This has been due, in large part, to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) opposition to this bill. The systematic violation of women’s rights as a result of the EO has continued despite the change in administration from Mayor Lito Atienza to Mayor Alfredo Lim in 2007. Contrary to misleading reports in the media, Mayor Lim’s Office has neither overturned the destructive EO, nor taken any steps to meaningfully restore access to modern contraceptives in Manila City. This is confirmed by the testimonies of women who have sought family planning services (modern contraceptives) in public health facilities funded by the local government in Manila City, only to be turned away. In fact, Major Lim publicly confirmed at the 2008 CBCP celebration of the anniversary of the Humanae Vitae that “the City of Manila will not buy any contraceptives.” Mayor Lim has also stated that “if . . . [a Philippine Reproductive Health bill] passed, the city government would not follow its provision[,]” thus confirming his clear intent to violate the law. Therefore, Filipino women have been arbitrarily denied access to a full range of modern contraceptives for 9 years in blatant violation of their right to access the full range of family planning methods and services as recognized in international law.
Therefore, the undersigned request that the CEDAW Committee take urgent action to hold the Philippine government responsible for its failure to fulfill its human rights obligations as a result of the EO and its impact on the women of Manila City, particularly low-income women. Specifically, we call upon the Committee to urge the Philippine government to:

Take immediate action to repeal the EO.
Provide full access to reproductive health information and services by adopting the proposed Reproductive Health bill and increasing government funding for reproductive health services in compliance with its obligation to respect, protect and fulfill human rights.

In Solidarity,

Organization Representative Country