Reproductive Health and Rights Challenges The CEDAW Committee in its 36th session in 2006 expressed its concern about the inadequate recognition and protection of the reproductive health and rights of women in the Philippines. The Committee is concerned at the high maternal mortality rates, particularly the number of deaths resulting from induced abortions, high fertility rates, inadequate family planning services, the low rates of contraceptive use and the difficulties of obtaining contraceptives. It is also concerned about the lack of sex education, especially in rural areas. It is concerned at the high rate of teenage pregnancies, which present a significant obstacle to girls’ educational opportunities and economic empowerment. The Philippines enacted two ground-breaking laws that recognize women’s rights: Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) in 2009 and Republic Act 10354 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act (RPRH Law) in 2012. The MCW mandates the State to provide “comprehensive, culture-sensitive, and genderresponsive health services and programs covering all stages of a women’s life cycle and which address the major causes of women’s mortality and morbidity . . . .i” It also provides for women’s access to family planning and post-abortion careii. The RPRH Law mandates “universal access to contraception, reproductive and sexuality education, post-abortion care, and maternity care, and requires the Department of Health (DOH) to procure and distribute a wide range of modern forms of contraception.iii” While the constitutionality of the RPRH Law was immediately challenged upon its passage, the Supreme Court finally upheld its constitutionality last 8 April 2014 and DOH proceeded with the issuance of guidelines for its implementationiv. On the other hand, in 2015, the CEDAW Committee released its key findings and recommendations of its Special Inquiry on Reproductive Health, particularly on the issue of the Manila Pro-Life EO 003. The findings held the Philippine government accountable for grave and systematic reproductive rights violations. Even with these progressive laws, women in the Philippines continue to face significant inequality and discrimination in accessing reproductive health information and services. The Philippines has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the Asia and the 23