Philippines: Contraceptives As Life-savers

Mina was too poor to buy pills and too powerless to say no to her husband whenever he came home drunk. "I would always give in," she said. "Otherwise, he might have created a scene and disturbed my employer, Ate Cris, who took us all in, including my son, when I applied as her helper."

Mina eventually became pregnant but prioritised the schooling of her son over prenatal care. She got access to health care only in her seventh month and only when a neighbour referred her to the nearby Community Health Care Clinic of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines. "The medical personnel there were really alarmed when they saw me," recalled Mina.

By Perla Aragon-Choudhury, Womens Feature Service

Philippines: Contraceptives As Life-savers