The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the Province of Laguna passed on third and final reading the “Right to Care Ordinance in the Province of Laguna.” Authored by 1st District Board Member Bernadeth Olivares, it aims to address gender-based discrimination in the healthcare sector by enabling members of the LGBTQIA+ community to designate their partners as their health proxies, particularly in emergency or critical medical situations.
Under current laws, designated health care proxies who can legally make decisions in case of serious health issues are limited to immediate family members and legal spouses.
In a social media post, Olivares stressed that this shows “inclusive governance”.
“Ito po ay isang polisiyang nagsusulong ng inclusive governance at kumikilala sa karapatan ng bawat Lagunense na italaga ang kaniyang pinagkakatiwalaang partner o mahal sa buhay na magdesisyon sa panahon ng mahahalagang pagpapasyang medikal para sa kaniya sa oras ng health emergency, kung wala na siyang kakayahang magpasya at wala o hindi agad maabot ang kaniyang immediate family,” Olivares said.
Board member Jam Agarao co-authored the ordinance.
Earlier, Biñan City, which is in Laguna Province, passed a similar ordinance. Province-wide, Laguna is preceded by Cavite, the first province to uphold the rights of LGBTQIA+ people in relationships to make medical decisions for their partners.
