Palace proclaims Oct. 15 every year as a day to remember pregnancy loss

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — October 15 of every year will now be dedicated to commemorate infants lost during or shortly after pregnancy, Malacañang declared.

Signed on Wednesday, Proclamation No. 700 designates National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day as a day to “increase awareness and provide comprehensive support for affected families, including mental health services, community programs, and informed healthcare guidance.”

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The directive tasks the Department of Health with leading the observation, encouraging all other government agencies and the private sector to support related initiatives.

Proclamation No. 700 repeals Proclamation No. 586, which had previously declared March 25 as the “Day of the Unborn” every year since it was signed in 2004.

According to the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey, 12 percent of pregnancies in Filipino women end in pregnancy losses, which include miscarriages and stillbirths.