Baguio college implements compulsory pregnancy tests, draws flak online

https://www.facebook.com/natsy.verceles/posts/10156935349647652

Documents supposedly showing a mandatory pregnancy testing in a college in Baguio circulated on social media on Tuesday and drew flak from netizens.

A Facebook post by a certain Nathalie Africa-Vernes showed documents from Pines City Colleges, directing its female students to participate in the mandatory pregnancy testing in the school which is supposedly in line with the school’s “pursuit for education and social responsibility.”

“In our school’s pursuit for education and social responsibility, the Medical Clinic will be conducting the mandatory pregnancy test on all female students in your colleges,” one of the documents read, which was a letter to all deans and department heads of the college.

The post also showed schedules of the said pregnancy tests this month, and policies concerning the unexpected pregnancy of the students during the academic year.

Several netizens reacted to the post saying that the move was “discriminatory.”

“This is clearly discriminatory,” one netizen commented.

Another netizen said, “Why? Does Pines City College discriminate against pregnant students?”

In one of the documents, it said that female students are required to undergo pregnancy tests that will be administered by the school’s medical clinic.

It also said that pregnant students must not enroll in courses such as Clinical Dentistry or subjects such as Roentgenology, Anesthesiology, Endodontics among others, that will “endanger both mother and child.”

Documents also showed that if a student gets pregnant during the semester, she must report her condition to the dean and file a leave of absence for the school year and return the following year on the same level.

The student also has the option to drop the mentioned subjects deemed harmful for her condition but continue to take the general or cultural subjects. /je