Immoral.

That’s how the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (PCHR) viewed abortion just 24 years ago. But thanks to unremitting advocacy across the region, including years of work by our team at the Center for Reproductive Rights, the PCHR expressly supported the decriminalization of abortion in 2022, marking a historic moment for abortion rights in the country.

By making a gift today, you will help the Center engage in long-term advocacy for reproductive rights in some of the most restrictive environments in the world.

In November 2022, the PCHR made a recommendation to the Congress of the Philippines to decriminalize abortion. While we celebrate this win, the work doesn't end here. Our team must work closely with regional partners to transform PCHR's recommendations into law reform that makes decriminalization of abortion a reality for Filipinos. That's why your support is so critical.

This declaration by the PCHR is a huge shift from where the Philippines was just a few decades ago. In 1999, the PCHR called abortion "immoral and/or contrary to the moral standards and religious conviction of the Filipino people."

But ongoing advocacy and pressure from the Center and our partners led to incremental changes, like in 2016 when the PCHR shifted its strict anti-abortion stance and called for Congress to reexamine the criminalization of abortion and review a study from the Center.

It's because of your ongoing support that the Center is able to campaign for fundamental human rights across the world.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment,

Jihan Jacob
Senior Legal Advisor for Asia