This newsletter contains a long list of WGNRR’s activities, including:
Sunshine: A Film on Reproductive Freedom
(Last week’s ICWRSA Campaign newsletter included a news story about this film, written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone, about a young gymnast navigating an unplanned pregnancy.)
In the WGNRR newsletter, WGNRR also focused on this film and their activities in relation to it. After a screening of the film which they co-hosted on 23 July 2025, they held “a talkback session with the film’s director, which sparked in-depth discussions on reproductive freedom, emphasizing that the story mirrors the lived experiences of millions of Filipino women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals…
During the talkback, participants expressed hopes that legislators would watch the film to understand the importance of addressing teenage pregnancy and supporting the decriminalization of abortion… A few days later, the producers of the film organized an exclusive screening of the film, with PINSAN helping to identify legislators to attend. This turned the aspiration into reality, advancing advocacy efforts and using the film to inspire critical conversations on reproductive freedom. Members of the Senate, Congress, and legislative offices watched the film, with some expressing interest in hosting exclusive screenings in the house of representatives, their respective districts and potentially filing a bill to advance the decriminalization of abortion in the Philippines.”
Roundtable Discussion on the Adolescents’ Rights and Responsibilities Fact Sheet
On 3 June 2025, legal experts, child rights advocates, and SRHR activists examined a sraft legal analysis and consent matrix through open discussion. They assessed its legal soundness, alignment with national and international law, identified key gaps and explored potential entry points for advocacy.
On 9 June 2025, they participated in a legal consultation to strengthen the abortion decriminalisation bill with others. On 9 June, they brought together youth advocates to engage with legal content on minors’ consent under Philippine law. They provided inputs on language, tone, visuals, and key SRHR topics to make the fact sheet more youth-friendly. They also reached consensus on effective formats and distribution strategies, ensuring their feedback directly shaped advocacy tools to advance their rights.
Intersectionality of SRHR and Climate Justice
On 19 June 2025, WGNRR organised a meeting that emphasised integrating SRHR into climate action, disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response frameworks as essential to improving health outcomes, protecting rights and building resilient, equitable communities.
High-Level Advocacy: Meeting with Benin’s Vice President
On 30 July 2025, WGNRR met with Mariam Chabi Talata, Vice President of Benin, to present the Kaleidoscope Initiative. The meeting secured high-level support, generated strong interest, and opened discussions on potential budget allocations under the Ministry of Health for the coming year. We hope this engagement will pave the way for sustainable investment in reproductive justice and strengthen collaborative efforts to advance safe abortion and SRHR in Benin.
Their newsletter goes on to report much more, e.g. on learning across borders and building solidarity for reproductive justice in international workshops in May 2025, attending a global south SAIGE convention in Sri Lanka and values training workshops in the Philippines for facilitators in August 2025.
SOURCE: WGNRR Speaks Up. Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights. E-mail: 25 August 2025.