While the Department of Education (DepEd) is in the process of consolidating the list of female public high school students, 14 years old and above, to be the recipients of the Department of Health’s free tetanus toxoid vaccination come November, the Gabriela Network of Professionals expressed their statement on the matter.
This was due to the alarm brought about by pro-life organizations questioning the composition of the vaccine which may contain human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) that allegedly causes abortion.
Jean Lindo, a medical doctor leading the Gabriela Network of Professionals, said the group “will not respond to this issue with a scare because the tetanus toxoid immunization of mothers has effectively reduced deaths among the newborn infants from tetanus.”
“We have to consider women who do not have access to hospitals and those living in poor conditions. Tetanus toxoid immunization will protect both the mother and the newborn,” she added.
Teogenes F. Baluma, regional director of DOH 11 told Edge earlier that this government program is intended mainly for female teenagers whose age turn out to be prone to pregnancy based on the DSWD surveys. Majority of these pregnant women who were below 24 years old did not receive prenatal checkups.
“Since women are the ones who get pregnant, they have to be prioritized,” Lindo said, adding that three doses of tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccines will protect the woman for 10 years and five doses give lifelong immunity.
“Children below five years old are covered through DPT (Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus) immunization. “Ideally, everybody (children, men and women) should be covered by all kinds of immunization and not just tetanus toxoid immunization. Our dismal budget for health will not make that possible,” she said.
Lindo said that for those who have any doubt regarding the vaccines of DOH may get their tetanus toxoid from other sources, if only to avoid exposing their newborn to tetanus and to protect themselves.
Although the DOH claims that the TT vaccines that will be given to the female students do not contain HCG, it is open for testing by any party, Baluma said.
Director Susana Estigoy of the Department of Education said that although she is not in a position to prove that the TT vaccines are HCG-free, or do not induce abortion or sterility to women, she does not doubt the DOH’s program.
Meanwhile, the Gabriela Network of Professionals said that they protest any form of violation against women human rights, including coercive sterilization.
“We leave to the World Health Organization and the Department of Health to explain the allegations of tetanus toxoid being laced with abortion-causing substance, HCG, if this is not a mere resurrection of the 1990’s scare,” Lindo said.
Having contributed to the development of the reproductive health concept which is not based solely on contraception and abortion, the women group said that they work on the framework that “health is a basic human right” and on “social justice.”
“It is a holistic framework that veers away from the women-victim blaming context. It is not anchored on a premise that women are sinful and should be deprived of their rights. Reproductive Health is non-selective. It is for all. We even find the population control framework as oversimplified. It is not confined to abortion and contraception. It does not encourage abortion but is trying to develop structures and mechanisms that prevent abortions,” Lindo added.
The group urged the government sector not to make the Catholic Church hierarchy’s opposition as an excuse for not pushing Reproductive Health. “It is not a choice for the government. It is state responsibility.”
“The official stand against Reproductive Health is not an absolute stand that is equal to belief in God. It is an authentic but non-infallible stand. We respectfully disagree with the framework that is not anchored on Social Justice for women,” the group said. [Lorie Ann A. Cascaro]
