“This is a key issue that Filipinos care deeply about, and expressing unified support will highlight its importance and encourage swift action to pass it,” he said.
If the bill comes into force, it would put an end to the contradiction that the legal age for consent to sexual activity is 16, but written parental consent is required for kids under 18 to make use of contraceptives.
Health experts say this disparity, an absence of sufficient details about sexual and reproductive health and the silencing effect of social stigma contribute to high rates of adlescent pregnancy.
“Once girls are sexually active, abstinence is not enough. They must have access to contraceptives, which is another legal barrier in the country,” said Leila Joudane, Philippine representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
“That is why I am glad that the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Bill is currently being discussed in the Senate and the House, which will provide teenagers with access to contraception at least at the age of 15 and over,” she said. he said.
‘God’s Blessing’: Young Filipinos Grapple with Teen Pregnancy Boom
‘God’s Blessing’: Young Filipinos Grapple with Teen Pregnancy Boom
The bill recognizes the “evolving capability of youngsters” to make their very own informed decisions about their health and sexuality.
It calls for kids as much as 15 years of age who’re sexually energetic, pregnant or have given birth to have full access to reproductive health services without parental consent. The law states that each one girls and boys aged 15–18 must have the identical rights.
In 2019, the federal government declared pregnancy amongst children aged 10 to 14 a national emergency. The following 12 months, UNFPA cited World Bank data showing that the Philippines had an annual birth rate of 47 children per 1,000 women aged 15–19, similar to greater than 500 Filipino adolescent girls becoming pregnant and giving birth every single day.
Although the variety of teenage pregnancies amongst girls aged 15-19 fell from 8.6 percent in 2017 to five.4 percent last 12 months, UNFPA’s Joudane said early childbearing was a “vicious cycle” the issue is much from solved and rates remain consistently high amongst girls aged 10–14.
The costs of teenage pregnancy in a rustic where about 30 percent of the population is under the age of 15 and where recent estimates suggest one in six girls is married before the age of 18 weigh on individuals, in addition to impacting communities and the economy. That’s why the act is so vital, say its supporters.
“It will protect young girls from maternal deaths, unemployment and poverty, improve their futures and strengthen their self-esteem,” Edcel Lagman, certainly one of the bill’s authors, said in an announcement after its passage by the House of Representatives.
Ripple effects
Lagman has previously stated that early pregnancy is one of the crucial reliable predictors of future poverty. This is because girls who develop into pregnant often don’t complete primary education and develop into economically vulnerable, exacerbating intergenerational poverty.
“If we really want to improve the quality of life for women, we must start by improving the future for young girls,” he said after the vote.
According to a 2016 study commissioned by UNFPA, the estimated net effect of early childbearing, making an allowance for lost opportunities and lost wages, is roughly 33 billion pesos ($579.86 million) per 12 months.
Teen pregnancy can also be a significant reason why the feminine labor force rate within the Philippines is certainly one of the bottom in Southeast Asia.
A 2016 UNFPA study also found that only 65 percent of women who start parenthood early are expected to graduate from highschool, meaning an additional lack of earnings as girls who graduate from highschool are more likely to earn 300 pesos ($5.26 ) more for every year. Day.
Our goal must be women’s fertility autonomy, not birth rates: UN
Our goal must be women’s fertility autonomy, not birth rates: UN
Joudane stated that early childbearing increases the maternal mortality rate and affects girls’ access to education, productive work opportunities and future life decisions.
There are also health risks that may be particularly debilitating for younger women. These may include anemia, sexually transmitted infections, postpartum hemorrhage and poor mental health outcomes resembling depression.
The bill may help reverse teenage pregnancy, but activists admit the challenge goes deeper. Changing mindsets may even be key, as will expanding access to youth-friendly sexual health services.
The greater picture
“We must address social norms and legal barriers to reproductive and sexual health services, and family planning programs must be available everywhere,” Joudane said.
For girls aged 10-14, “we need to educate parents so they can consent to girls having access to contraceptives. It is important to work on social norms, but also on legal barriers.”
Last 12 months, UNFPA, which wants to attain zero teenage pregnancies by 2030, launched a $1 million campaign along with the Department of Health, the World Health Organization and the Korea International Cooperation Agency to support medical experts within the fight against pregnancies. in teenagers.
The project goals to assist 275,000 teenagers in 20 cities in Samar and Southern Leyte – two poor and typhoon-prone provinces within the Eastern Visayas region, which has certainly one of the country’s highest rates of teenage pregnancy, where girls are 12 and 13 years old. getting pregnant.
Opinion: Population policy must put women’s reproductive rights at the middle
Opinion: Population policy must put women’s reproductive rights at the middle
Eva Estonillo, a midwife and adolescent health planner within the Marabou commune of Samar, helped transform her health care unit into what the Ministry of Health calls a “youth-friendly facility,” offering peer consultations and knowledge on maternal care and family planning .
“Before our facility became youth-friendly, young people often avoided seeking help or were turned away by rural health care providers,” Estonillo said.
“As teenagers are now encouraged to seek help at our facility, I have noticed that more and more teenage mothers have become interested in our family planning services,” she said.
This can also be vital because many teenage girls go on to have a rapid series of pregnancies after an early first birth. The availability of such services would profit people like Sandra, who lives in Marabut and who gave birth to her first child last July.
Now 18, she dropped out of college after a high-risk delivery.
“I want to go back to school to finish my education for my child’s future, but it’s difficult right now,” said Sandra, who asked to stay anonymous under her real name for fear of being stigmatized.
Joudane is inspired by efforts to tackle teen pregnancy, but says the main target must be maintained.
“This issue must continue to be a priority for all of us. This will continue to impact the lives of girls in the Philippines,” she said. “This will continue to impact the Philippine economy and the cycle of poverty will continue.”
