Photo courtesy of: Maverick Rhoy De Vera | The LANCE
Slowly becoming recognized in society, the rights of non-traditional families and individuals are being acknowledged through laws and regulations catering to them, as they continue to emerge as a community in the Philippines.
From Quezon City’s Right to Care ordinance to nationwide replication, Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima proposed House Bill 7068, also known as the “Right to Care Act,” last January 17, 2026, which aims to allow patients to choose a trusted individual to make medical decisions in case of emergency.
In the healthcare setting, non-traditional families and individuals—including solo parents, the LGBTQIA+ community, and those in nonmarital and same-sex relationships. They face discriminating challenges as they remain unconsidered as those who also require basic health needs and are still being questioned for their identities and roles. De Lima seeks to address these through the bill’s passage.
Beyond offering liberated decision-making, significant hurdles remain to be overcome. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community and solo parents often experience deep frustration, questioning when they will be taken seriously—as human beings who equally deserve care.
For Airadee Lim, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community identifying as pansexual, although she did not firsthand experience these challenges in her own healthcare, she has seen how it is different for those who do not fit into society’s expectations. She used to accompany her close friend in his hospital visits—a masculine-presenting lesbian with a heart condition.
“I want to be there for him during those important appointments—not just for emotional support, but as someone he can rely on and trust to help make decisions for his care,”said Lim.
Aside from the mother of her friend, he has no one else to rely on when it comes to critical matters such as healthcare decision-making—someone who can stand with him during those moments to ensure him the proper care he deserves.
Lim also recalled how hospital visits became a place of anxiety. People would stare, whisper, and look confused as they walked within its halls.
Appearance also became a basis, almost a pass, for being overly critical of patients. Instead of addressing the serious medical condition that demanded care, attention was redirected to how he looked. In a place meant to provide healing, he was continuously reminded of conflicts surrounding sex and gender—concerns that had no relevance to the care they needed.
Despite just observing this, she could not help but feel disheartened: “As someone who cared about him, it was painful to witness.”
For Candaleria Apolinar, a solo parent, despite juggling responsibilities for her daughter and making every effort to provide for her needs, it is still insufficient in the eyes of the healthcare system to solely recognize her as the one capable of decision-making for her daughter.
“Simula nung iniwan kami ng ama ng aking anak, ako na ang nag-aalaga at nagdedesisyon para sa kanya araw-araw. Kapag kailangan naming pumunta sa ospital para sa checkup o gamot tuwing nagkakasakit siya, ramdam ko na ini-evaluate ang kakayahan ko bilang solo parent,” Apolinar shared.
To Apolinar, it is painful that despite her hard work for her daughter, she feels as if it is not enough. Many nights she relies on prayers for her daughter, hoping she will get better whenever she is sick.
From the perspective of the bill, there are cases yet to be considered. Asst. Prof. Franz Jude S. Abelgas, M.A., with his expertise in Gender, Social, Political, and Legal Studies, shared that many decisions in healthcare facilities are automatically assumed to be made by blood-related family members in cases where the patient cannot decide for themselves.
There are instances where patients are no longer on speaking terms with their blood-related family, or all of their family members are too far away to make medical decisions for them. In same-sex relationships, despite spending their lives taking care of each other, without a formally documented proof of marriage, they still cannot be recognized as one.
With these observable cracks in the healthcare system and its defined recognition of responsible decision-making, the bill’s existence rejects the idea that only blood-related families can provide the best care and support to patients. It creates an opportunity for health to become more participatory and less gated—patients can now decide who they want to take care of them, especially who they want to see during the healing process.
“This is a giant leap for people who may not be close with their blood family members but have formed their own bonds outside,” said Asst. Prof. Abelgas.
The bill goes beyond just upholding and protecting individual rights; it also acknowledges and institutionalizes the existence of non-traditional social organizations—a huge step in the development of human rights and society itself.
“By giving them the power to make medical decisions for someone—something that only blood relatives or direct family members could do before—they are essentially saying that these non-traditional social organizations can also perform the same function equally,” Asst. Prof. Abelgas stated.
Asst. Prof. Abelgas also added that hospitals and healthcare facilities have their own share of gaps, including insufficient supplies, beds, and even healthcare professionals to take care of the growing number of people who are sick. Although this may be true, it still paves the way for progress—crucial for more contextualized and liberating decisions.
This initiative offers more than what it seems at first glance; it also ignites change for those who once felt indifference. For Lim, the Right to Care Act could help create safer spaces in healthcare, providing assurance that they will not be judged, ignored, or treated differently because of their identity—to seek the care they need without fear.
“It could mean walking into a hospital without anxiety, and without having to brace themselves for stares or disrespect. For the community as a whole, it’s a step toward dignity, fairness, and equal treatment—things that should already be guaranteed when it comes to healthcare,” Lim stated.
Apolinar agrees that this initiative will be helpful not only for her, but also for her daughter.
Promising as it may seem, Asst. Prof. Abelgas hopes that the bill will be accepted with very minor backlash from society. As is typical, when laws are proposed that do not conform to people’s beliefs and biases, they are often met with resistance. In the same way, he hopes that the success of this bill, hopefully, is not taken advantage of by the politicians involved in it.
Full of potential and extending beyond decision-making, lives are at stake, which makes it all more crucial to save more lives. House Bill 7068, or the “Right to Care Act,” enacts inclusivity and sheds light on unseen struggles, allowing non-traditional individuals to be recognized in society—and, most importantly, to be taken care of like any human being, free of discrimination.
This is only the beginning, as recognition of the struggles of those once neglected is steadily being put into effort—all for their betterment and well-being, which will eventually lead to them being fully acknowledged as a vital part of society.