Hontiveros eyeing anti-teen pregnancy substitute bill

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday said  she intends to file a substitute bill to the controversial Senate Bill No. 1979, otherwise known as the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023. 

Hontiveros made the announcement after several fellow senators withdrew their signatures from the committee report of SBN 1979. 

“Naintindihan ko na baka may mga konsiderasyon silang inisip na nagtulak sa pag-withdraw nila sa isang bill na naglalayong tumugon sa tumataas na kaso ng teen pregnancy,” said Hontiveros. 

(I understand that they might have some considerations for withdrawing their signatures from a bill that seeks to address the rising cases of teenage pregnancy.)

“Gayunpaman, umaasa po ako na basahin nila ang substitute bill na plano ko pong i-file na nagsasaalang-alang sa mga pangamba ng iba’t ibang grupo,” she added. 

(But I hope that they read the substitute bill that I plan to file, which seeks to address the fears of some groups.)

No specifics were disclosed regarding the substitute bill that Hontiveros plans to lodge, including the date of its filing. 

SBN 1979 drew controversy after the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution’s Project Dalisay made an online petition seeking to have it junked, claiming that it is a significant threat to the country’s societal, moral, and spiritual foundations.

In their petition, Project Dalisay enumerated the following points of concern in relation to the structure of the controversial CSE program and SBN 1979:

• Undermining Parental Authority — According to Project Dalisay, the CSE program undermines parental authority to guide children on matters of faith, morality, and sexuality, claiming that it can teach children that “they have rights to confidentiality and privacy from their parents and provide information on accessing sexual commodities or services without parental consent.”
  

• Early Sexualization — The group says the curriculum may normalize child sex or desensitize children to sexual themes.
  

• Promoting Risky Behaviors — CSE, as believed by the family rights group, may normalize high-risk sexual behaviors, such as anal and oral sex while omitting vital medical facts.
  

• Contradicting Constitutional Values — The group believes the CSE program may destroy the spiritual and moral development of the youth, contrary to the pro-God, pro-family, and pro-religion provisions of the Constitution.
  

• Promoting Homosexuality/Bisexuality — Project Dalisay warned that the curriculum may normalize or promote acceptance or exploration of diverse sexual orientations.
  

• Failing to Establish Abstinence – They also claimed that the CSE program may fail to establish abstinence as the expected standard for all school-age children.
  

• Introducing Age-Inappropriate Content — Lastly, Project Dalisay sounded the alarm, maintaining that the program introduces topics that are not appropriate for young minds. 

“For example, at Grade 1, students may be asked to discuss private body parts in mixed-sex classrooms. At Grade 8, students may discuss identity crisis, sexual identity and sexual behaviors,  and pre-marital sex, teenage pregnancies and abortion,” their petition states. 

With these in mind, the petitioners are appealing to the Department of Education and lawmakers that they withdraw the implementation of the CSE program, including its inclusion into the national curriculum. 

Hontiveros, however, already debunked one by one these “lies,” maintaining that the legislation contains no provisions seeking to encourage masturbation to children aged 0 to 4 or teach bodily pleasure to children aged 6 to 9. 

“Absolutely none of those concepts exist in our bill. Those lines in their supposed rebuttal are complete and total fabrication,” said Hontiveros. 

She likewise emphasized that the controversial Comprehensive Sexual Education is not derived from Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe, but only to responsible parenthood and reproductive health law.

“Wala ring sinasabi sa bill na kailangan sundin ang mga patakaran sa ibang bansa. Kaya maling-mali talaga yang mga post nila na unconstitutional daw ang Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill,” said Hontiveros. 

(There’s no provision in the bill that states that we should follow the policies of other nations. That’s why their posts claiming that the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill is unconstitutional are wrong.)