Congressman Bernardo Vergara vows to  put an end on the increasing abortion cases in Baguio City and the rest of the country.

 According to Vergara, he filed  House Bill No.  13   entitled  “Protection of the Unborn Child Act Of 2010”   that  aims to stop or prevent the death of the unborn child inside the womb of  the mother and  for her  safety.

 Vergara said that the bill will equally protect the rights of the unborn child to live and the mother as well. The bill will even strengthen the current  law  on abortion and will see to it that anyone who would commit it would be charged in court. 

 Under  Republic Act 3815, abortion is prohibited and a mother who undergoes abortion should be charged and be penalized and even be imprisoned but this is not being strictly being followed.

“Life begins from conception and this bill will protect the mother and likewise the baby,” he added.

Vergara said that a baby is a blessing and the mother should always protect the child and see to it that the baby lives. Every child has the right to live,  he stressed.

 In a report by the Gabriela,  Baguio City and Benguet have  more than a thousand cases of abortion since 2006 and most of them are students. It also showed  that  abortion cases are mostly because of single parenthood or early pregnancies and even financial problems.

Meanwhile,  Baguio Center for Young Adults Executive Director, Marlene De Castro, is urging  government to   look into “back street” abortion  in Baguio City and Benguet. According to de Castro, most are mang hihilot or  typical old women who perform abortion in a very dangerous manner  giving  health complications to both the mother and the unborn child.

De Castro also added that government  strengthen and simplify  the adoption process. At the moment, a person who wants to adopt a child undergoes several paper works and even the process of adoption is very hard. ** ** Redjie Cawis/ PIA