1. What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it?
I am supportive of family planning, particularly in increasing its awareness and practice across the country, regardless of the type of method of family planning used—whether it be traditional/natural or modern/artificial. This is because of the negative consequences that unplanned pregnancies bring. Unwanted childbearing leads to an unintended increase in the number of children, especially if the parents lack knowledge and understanding on how to limit family size.
A study has shown that large families, poverty incidence, and their vulnerability to poverty are all negatively linked to one another (Orbeta, 2005). From my understanding and from what I have seen on the news, this implies that poverty-prevalent communities tend to have large families and yet, have resources and finances that could not meet the individual needs of their children, let alone the whole family. Poor-income households with a large number of children tend to become even poorer because of additional expenses to raise each child in the family. In addition, the welfare of the family household is also compromised with a large number of children. Lower fertility is also found to be associated with an increase in family wealth and educational attainment (Greenspan, 1992).
With family planning, families struggling with limiting their increase in size would be educated and informed of the appropriate measures in contraception. With a family size that the parents anticipate and is prepared for, the needs of each child would be met; no child would suffer from a lack of proper care. Parents would be able to focus more on providing basic physiologic needs and health and nutritional care to their children as much as their finances and resources can manage. Thus, family planning is critical in not only increasing household welfare, but also improving the health of children, families, and communities in general.
2. Are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions? Elaborate on your answer.
Yes, I am in favor of the Reproductive Health Law as it supports the need for parents, couples, and individuals to decide on the number and spacing of their children freely but responsively, through well-informed and accessible family planning services. An individual’s reproductive health is also being protected. The law understands that increasing the quality of family planning and promotion of reproductive health—especially on women, the poor, and marginalized—would positively impact maternal and child health as well as safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery. It also gives importance to improved overall health by producing “ethical and medically safe, legal, accessible, affordable, non-abortifacient, effective and quality reproductive health care services and supplies.”
I am also supportive of how one of its provisions is promoting both traditional/ natural and modern/ artificial family planning (FP) methods in an unbiased manner for a couple’s or individual’s choice. The inclusion of all FDA-approved and medically sound and safe FP methods allows the rights of parents or couples to be exercised. In this way, their preferences for certain aspects of growing their family are respected while still making safe and informed decisions. Even religious and cultural beliefs will not be violated as a variety of options for FP methods are available.
Furthermore, it seeks to focus on encouraging parents to plan and prepare for their desired number of children. However, this planning and preparation must be done while taking into account critical factors such as (1) health, particularly of the mother or woman, and (2) available and accessible resources which may include finances and provision of needs. Their morals, beliefs, and religious convictions are also considered. This is greatly important as being holistically ready for having children, especially with the ability to meet their needs, would greatly impact a child’s quality of life as he or she grows and develops. Because of this, I wholly agree with one of the law’s statements under its declaration of policy, Section 2: “The State shall also promote openness to life; Provided, That parents bring forth to the world only those children whom they can raise in a truly humane way.”
References:
Greenspan, A. (1992). Poverty in the Philippines: the impact of family size. Asia Pac Pop Policy 21 (pp. 1-4). PMID: 12317439. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12317439/#
Orbeta, A.C., Jr. (2005). Poverty, Vulnerability and Family Size: Evidence from the Philippines. ADB Institute Research Paper Series 68. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/157217/adbi-rp68.pdf
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, Rep. Act No. 10354 (Jul. 23, 2012) (Phil.), https://pcw.gov.ph/republic-act-10354/