NO NEED FOR MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION ON RH LAW DECISION - DOH Press Release/30 April 2014 STA. CRUZ, MANILA – As the deadline to seek a reconsideration of the Supreme Court (SC)’s ruling on the Reproductive Health (RH) Law passed, the Department of Health (DOH), through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), decided that a Motion for Reconsideration (MR) is no longer needed. “We are ready to go. All eyes are waiting for the green light for us to intensify our efforts to save mothers and children,” said Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona. Last April 8, SC spokesperson Theodore Te announced in Baguio City that the high court, “after a scrutiny of the various arguments and contentions of the parties in the foregoing consolidated cases consisting of 14 petitions challenging its constitutionality and 2 interventions to uphold its constitutionality, unanimously held that [the RH Law] is not unconstitutional based on the grounds raised, except with respect to [eight] items.” The OSG, which serves as legal counsel for the main respondent which is the DOH, officially received copies of the SC Decision and separate opinions on April 11. Party-litigants in the consolidated case of Imbong v. Ochoa (G.R. No. 204819) which assailed the constitutionality of Republic Act No. 10354 or the “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012” had until April 26 to file an MR. “With the help of our legal advisers, we now fully understand the nature of the SC Decision and its implications on program implementation,” said Ona. “As far as we are concerned, the SC Justices essentially clarified that all government health facilities are still required to provide modern family planning services, and that there are many legal ways to ensure access to RH services even if there are conscientious objectors, among many other clarifications,” Dr. Ona noted. “Every mother giving birth, every child about to be born, and all women looking for the best options to take care of their families can no longer wait,” the Health Chief added.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 05:31:30 +0000
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