NGO pushes for legislation countering ‘younger’ teenage pregnancies in PH
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MANILA, Philippines — A non-government organization has urged Congress to pass measures that would prevent teenage pregnancies in the country, especially that state agencies have expressed concerns on conception occurring in younger ages.
According to Oxfam Philippines, the bills proposed by senators, and tackled recently at the Senate Committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality, would help the country address its long-standing problem of adolescent pregnancy.
“They (bills) are a welcome development in realizing an extensive policy that will address adolescent pregnancy in the country,” Oxfam Philippines executive director Erika Geronimo said in a statement on Friday.
“Tthe recent response and actions taken by the members of the Senate Committee signify their commitment towards a rights-based approach in addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights matters, although there is much to be done to ensure it is reflected in the proposed bill,” she added.
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Geronimo’s statements came after the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) — the primary agency tasked to implement reproductive health policies of the government — raised concerns last February about children as young as 10 years old getting pregnant.
This was despite a drop in pregnancies among Filipino teenagers aged 15 to 19, signifying a new problem for the agency.
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PopCom cited the same observations from the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), which showed that teenage pregnancy among 15-19 years old has declined from 8.6% in 2017 to 5.4% in 2022.
Oxfam Philippines said that there is a need to provide universal access to sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), as some of the country’s existing laws hinder adolescents from getting an easy access to commodities and services.
The group recommended that in Senate Bills No. 1209, 372, and 651, the age range of adolescence must be revised from 10-21 years old to just 10-19, aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
They also stressed that sexuality and sexual rights “should be seen as part of basic human rights which involved informed choices, feelings, love, and desires to develop intimate and safe relationship and pleasure.”
Furthermore, they urged the placement of provisions that would protect adolescents who are victims of violence and abuse.
“It is indeed promising that the proposed bills ensure social protection for adolescent mothers, parents, and their children and its present form is now inclusive of the rights of LGBTQIA+ adolescents, adolescents with disabilities, and the IP and Moro groups,” Geronimo said.
“However, there is still much to be done to make it fully supportive of a gender-responsive, inclusive, and universal national policy in addressing adolescent pregnancy,” she added.
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