The “baby boom” that is expected this year as a result of lockdowns imposed in 2020 to contain the spread of COVID-19 and the need to prevent hospital-acquired infections prompted a lawmaker to call on local governments to do away with their “no home birth” policy.
An estimated 214,000 “lockdown” babies are expected to be born this year, projections made by the University of the Philippines Population Institute and the United Nations Population Fund indicate.
“I think the no home birth policy infringes on women’s fundamental right of choice,” Deputy Majority Leader and Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles said.
“There were a lot of reports on mothers about to give birth forced to go to hospitals or birthing centers despite their fear of getting infected by COVID-19 and lack of transportation due to fear of penalties to be imposed on them if they do so. What local governments should do is to provide support, not penalties to the mothers,” he added.
Home births, he said, “could prove an effective alternative to women who have difficulty accessing hospitals and other health-care facilities, as well as a means to address the continued strain on health institutions due to the ongoing pandemic.”
In filing House Bill 6477, or the Expanded Reproductive Rights of Women Act of 2020, Nograles sought to guarantee women’s right to choose modes of birthing and neonatal care.
The bill also aimed to overturn local governments’ no home birth policy.
“Rather than penalizing those who wish to undergo home births and other modes of birthing, the government should instead implement a clear and effective framework that would make these alternative methods safer,” Nograles said.
Under his bill, the Department of Health would be mandated to develop safety guidelines addressing home birth issues.
“Besides addressing the barriers that prevent mothers from going to hospitals such as high costs and lack of transportation, we should also provide safer alternatives especially for those who are in geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas,” Nograles added.