The RH Wars: Framing the Population and Reproductive Health Debate

INSTITUTE OF PHILIPPINE CULTURE (IPC)
School of Social Sciences, Ateneo de Manila University

launched on 1 October 2014

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THE RH WARS: FRAMING THE POPULATION AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH DEBATE

by
Clarissa C. David
Assistant Professor, College of Mass Communications, University of the Philippines Diliman

Antonio G. M. La Viña
Dean, Ateneo School of Government

Jenna Mae L. Atun
Lecturer, Department of Communication, Ateneo de Manila University

For decades, population has been one of the most contentious issues in the Philippines, and its framing and reframing by different stakeholders present various ways of interpreting whether it is a problem and what solution is best to address it. This study takes a systematic look at the different frames that have been used to discuss population and reproductive health in public discourse from both communication and political perspectives. Different types of frame analysis were conducted on various population-related texts that appeared in public and policy content from 1987 to 2007. By mapping out the different frames used in public and policy discourses, the study sought to explain the persistent impasse in population and reproductive health policy debates. It recommends message and audience strategies in order to move forward the conversation on population, reproductive health, and family planning. The study ends with a discussion on the various provisions on the RH Law and its journey after it was enacted in 2012.

During the luanch, comments on the monograph were delivered by Atty. Jo Aurea Imbong (Department of Communication, School of Social Sciences, AdMU) and Prof. Mary Racelis (IPC and Department of Sociology and Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, AdMU).