Eastern Valley School
Cacho St. Balite Rodriguez, Rizal 429
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Topic: Should abortion be legalized in the Philippines
?in case of Rape or Incest
Group 1 — Manuscript
Renzo Micael Salolog
Leo Romero Calsado
Trizha Zhenn E. Diaz
Christian Java
Nikki Aseo
Submitted to: Ms. Mary Rose Arenas
August 2025
Opening Statement (SALOLOG)
Good day, everyone. I am Renzo Micael Salolog, accompanied by my groupmates. We stand
in support of legalizing abortion in cases of incest and rape. Let me give you a short explanation
of what an abortion is. Abortion, also known as termination, is the process of ending a pregnancy so
that it does not result in the birth of a baby. Hence, we believe that abortion should be legalized in
cases of rape or incest.
If you would ask me why, as young members of society, we have witnessed numerous cases
of rape reported on social media platforms, which deeply concern us. Many rape victims experience
trauma, suffer from anxiety, and are forced to carry pregnancies they did not want.
In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), women and girls who become
pregnant as a result of rape are more likely to suffer long-term psychological effects such as post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Forcing them to
continue the pregnancy only worsens their suffering, making abortion a necessary option in protecting
their mental and emotional health.
Legalizing abortion can significantly decrease the number of unsafe abortions, which
often lead to severe health risks and maternal deaths. When abortion is illegal or highly restricted,
individuals may resort to clandestine procedures performed by untrained providers, resulting in
complications such as hemorrhage, infection, and incomplete abortion.
ARGUMENT (ASEO & JAVA)
1. Argument: In incest cases, forcing the victim to carry a pregnancy can keep them trapped
in silence and fear, protecting the abuser instead of the victim.
Evidence: In the Elisabeth Fritzl case, she was repeatedly raped by her father and forced to give
birth to several of his children, which allowed the abuser to maintain control and keep her trapped in a
cycle of fear and silence.
2. Argument: Carrying a child from rape or incest may cause severe psychological harm and
social stigma.
Evidence: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), women forced to carry pregnancies
caused by sexual violence face higher risks of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression,
and suicidal tendencies. For example, in Paraguay (2015), an 11-year-old girl was forced to continue
a pregnancy after being raped by her stepfather. The case drew international criticism, highlighting
the devastating psychological and social consequences of forcing victims especially children to give
birth.
3. Argument: Victims deserve the right to decide what happens to their bodies, especially since
the pregnancy was not a result of their choice but of violence.
Evidence: In the Philippines, according to 2022 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
and reports from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), more than 2,000 rape cases were
documented in just one year, with many victims being minors. The Center for Reproductive Rights
also affirms that forcing women to continue pregnancies resulting from rape constitutes a violation of
their rights to health and bodily autonomy.
4. Argument: Many says unsafe abortion can lead to fatality of the patient victim.
Evidence: Statistics came from WHO says 90% of abortion with safety standards and proper
guidelines is safe this statistics ay isinagawa sa Argentina and Brazil.
5. Argument: There’s a risk in abortion
Evidence: “there’s always a risk in everything” but it can minimize the risk by implementing it with
proper knowledge and support from our government.
REBUTTAL (DIAZ & JAVA)
1. If legalized, it will be abused by the citizens.
Rebuttal:
How can women abuse abortion if we're talking about rape?
— Legalizing gives us and the government the power to better monitor the cases of abortion rather
than letting it be illegal.
Evidence:
1. (WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION)
High Rates of Unsafe Abortion: Restrictive laws do not reduce the number of abortions but rather
increase the proportion of unsafe ones and lead to deaths.
2. The Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN) advocates decriminalization of
abortion why?
— 1st: Centralized Data Collection Legalization would allow the Department of Health (DOH) to
establish a formal system for centralized data collection on the number of abortions performed, the
methods used, patient demographics, and health outcomes
— 2nd: With legalization, the DOH could implement standardized protocols for safe abortion
care. Any complications that do occur would be documented and reported within the healthcare
system, providing crucial data for public health research and policy.
— 3rd: By removing the legal penalties and reducing the social stigma, women would be more
likely to seek safe, legal services. This transparency would allow for more accurate data on the
number of abortions and would also enable a better understanding of post-abortion care needs, which
are currently severely underreported.
2. Adoption is a better alternative to abortion.
Rebuttal:
—Abortion is to end the pregnancy, meaning to end also the trauma and pain from what happen
which is "rape or incest".
—Adoption is an option after birth or it involves what happens after birth.
Abortion may be chosen because a person cannot afford the risks or costs of pregnancy itself, not
just because they don’t want to raise a child.
—Adopting a child here in the Philippines is somehow a long process before having legal approval.
—Unsafe abortions impose further risks, and adoption infrastructure is limited and stigmatized.
3. Abortion has side effects too for the mother's health.
—Preventing legal abortion doesn’t prevent it from happening—it only makes it unsafe, driving
women toward life-threatening alternatives.
Evidence: According to National Institute of Health
—Pregnancy is at least 14 times more likely to result in death than a legal abortion.
— If abortion will be legalized, it will be more monitored.
4. The fetus also has a right to life.
Rebuttal:
A fetus’s rights cannot override the rights of the living, sentient person who is pregnant.
—Most abortions (about 90%) occur before 12 weeks, long before viability.
If biological development alone determined rights, then sperm and eggs would deserve rights too,
since they are also human cells with potential.
• Fetus has a right to life → but personhood is distinct from biological life.
• Heartbeat/viability → but sentience/autonomy matter more.
• Fetal protection laws → but they exist to protect women, not grant fetal personhood.
Evidence:
Revised Penal Code criminalizes abortion, yet Article 11(4) “state of necessity” has been
recognized by the government (2022 report to UN HRC) and cited by CRR as allowing abortion to
save the pregnant person’s life/health
5. Abortion is killing life or the baby.
Article 2 section 12 of 1987 Philippine constitution, protection of both the life of the mother and the
unborn from conception (emphasizes the beliefs, or view point of the human life, for the very first
moment that the egg was fertilize).
Rebuttal: Conception creates a cell not a conscious person, personhood brain activity and the ability
to live independently .
—Giving full rights from conception, ignores the rights of the mother/victims who is living.
—Protecting cell over conscious women is not morality, it’s injustice.
6. Kung nanggaling ito sa maling gawain (RAPE), bakit pa dadagdagan ng isang maling
gawain (ABORTION).
Rebuttal: Hindi namin ipinagkakait ang buhay dito, pinaglalaban namin ang Right to choose of the
victim, Because a pregnancy result from rape add more damages to the emotional, psychological and
mental health of the victim.
CONCLUSION STATEMENT (CALSADO)
To sum it up, we stand in support of legalizing abortion in cases of incest of rape. The issue of
legalizing abortion in the Philippines in cases of rape or incest is not just a matter of law, but of
humanity, compassion, and justice. Victims of such crimes already endure unimaginable pain and
trauma, and forcing them to continue a pregnancy that resulted from violence only deepens their
suffering.
Legalizing abortion in these specific cases would provide them with the chance to heal, regain
control over their lives, and make decisions that best protect their health and future. It is not about
disregarding the value of life, but about recognizing the dignity and rights of women and girls who
have been wronged. By creating laws that allow safe and legal abortion for victims of rape or incest,
the Philippines would take a step toward a more compassionate society—one that chooses to protect
the vulnerable, provide justice for the oppressed, and uphold the principle that no one should be
punished for a crime they did not commit.
As students, let us be the one who promotes and contributes to what is right. Nararapat lang
gawing legal ang aborsyon sa Pilipinas sa kaso ng panggagahasa o incest dahil ito ay nagbibigay ng
hustisya sa mga biktima. Hindi makatarungan na ang isang babae o bata na naging biktima ng
karahasan ay mapilitan pang magdalang-tao at magluwal ng anak na bunga ng krimeng iyon.
Ang aborsyon sa ganitong pagkakataon ay hindi simpleng pagtakas, kundi isang
paraan upang mabigyan sila ng pagkakataong maghilom, muling makontrol ang kanilang
buhay, at mapangalagaan ang kanilang pisikal at emosyonal na kalusugan.
Ang pagpipilit sa kanila na magbuntis ay parang dagdag na parusa sa krimeng hindi naman
nila ginawa. Sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng ligtas at legal na paraan ng aborsyon, maipapakita
ng ating lipunan na pinahahalagahan natin ang karapatan, dignidad, at kapakanan ng mga
kababaihan at bata.
Opening Statement: Salolog, Renzo Micael
Argument Development: Aseo, Nikki & Java, Christian
Rebuttal: Diaz, Trizha Zhenn & Java, Christian
Conclusion Statement: Calsado, Leo
