AKIPRESS.COM - The Philippines Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a family planning law but ruled out provisions to punish health workers who do not inform people about contraceptive options.

In a country where more than 80 percent of a population of about 97 million is Roman Catholic, the Church had opposed the law, effectively blocking its passage for 13 years, for fear it would lead to a spike in abortions.

The Philippines has one of the highest birth rates in Asia, standing at 24.98 per 1,000 of population in 2012. Congress passed the reproductive health law in December 2012, allowing public health centers to hand out contraceptives, such as condoms and pills, and teach sex education in schools, said the Reuters.

"The reproductive health law is not unconstitutional," Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te told a jubilant crowd at the tribunal's compound in Baguio City, a mountain resort where the justices are holding their summer session.

Te said the court declared at least eight provisions of the law to be unconstitutional, including one intended to punish reproductive health providers who failed, or refused, to spread information about the law's services and programs.