Duterte's family planning program faces opposition in Philippines

A presidential intervention to provide free contraceptives in the predominantly Catholic Philippines looked set to face hurdles, with conservatives and church leaders preparing possible challenges. Access to artificial birth control methods is difficult in the country of over 100 million people despite the passage of the Reproductive Health Law in 2012 because of a Supreme Court order stopping its full implementation. President Rodrigo Duterte issued an executive order on Monday directing agencies to fund and enforce the family planning program to ensure free access to birth control, sidestepping the court's order.