Right to Care Act: Enhancing Healthcare Rights for Couples
Imagine this: your beloved partner is rushed to the emergency room, and when the medical staff asks for “next of kin,” your relationship is suddenly invisible because the law doesn’t recognize it. This scenario is all too real for many LGBT+ couples in the Philippines. The proposed Right to Care Act aims to change that reality.
Introduced in Congress as House Bill No. 2786 by Akbayan Representative Percival Cendaña, this legislation would empower individuals to officially designate their partner, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, or marital status, as their healthcare agent. This means your partner could make crucial health decisions, access your medical records, and be acknowledged in hospitals without facing obstacles from unsympathetic hospital staff or distant family members.Read more
The bill also encourages PhilHealth to incorporate these changes into everyday practice. Under this proposal, all members would have a healthcare proxy listed on their PhilHealth documents and ID, eliminating the chaos of searching for “legal family” while your chosen family waits anxiously outside the ICU.Learn more
From Local Initiatives to National Recognition
Local government initiatives have already demonstrated the power of such protections. Quezon City, for example, introduced the Right to Care card, allowing queer partners to make decisions about medical treatments and procedures, just as any legally recognized spouse would.Discover more San Juan City followed suit with its own ordinance, affirming that every partner, regardless of their SOGIE, deserves legal recognition as “mahal sa buhay” or cherished one.Read further
On a national level, the Right to Care Act does not grant marriage equality, but it is a significant step forward. By legally recognizing the role of queer partners in each other’s healthcare, the bill challenges the notion that only “traditional” families merit legal protection. For many LGBT+ Filipinos, it provides a vital safety net in a system where the SOGIE Equality Bill remains stalled and full legal recognition is still a battle in progress.Find out more
it’s about a simple truth cloaked in legal terms: when a loved one is fighting for their life, the law should facilitate your ability to care for them, not obstruct it.
