- What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it?
I am definitely in support of promoting the practice of family planning. This is because aside from promoting the health and well-being of both parents in terms of minimizing complications during pregnancy and childbirth and in preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted infection, careful family planning also ensures that the children do not bear the burdens of the family as this program enables parents to deliberate carefully and assume responsibility in deciding their desired number of children. In our country, the high incidence of unplanned pregnancies persist leading to several undesirable effects for many Filipino families. Of particular concern is how unplanned pregnancies lead to poverty resulting from larger family sizes.
A study has revealed that there are strong and enduring associations between larger family size, poverty incidence and vulnerability to poverty in the Philippines. In essence, larger family sizes means more resources are needed to sustain the needs of each family member. Large families are therefore likely to face financial burden while also being unable to meet the needs of the entire family, hence negatively affecting the health and well-being of both the parents and children alike. As long as parents lack appropriate knowledge on preventing unwanted pregnancies using family planning methods or fail to consider their economic capacity in deciding the family size that they are capable of sustaining, the vicious cycle of poverty continues.
Thus, family planning is important as it can help a couple make sound decisions taking into consideration their social and economic capacity. By doing so, a couple can build financial security, allowing them to raise a family that they can properly care for by being able to provide enough resources and time to meet each child’s needs. After all, being able to meet the needs of each member is the recipe for a healthy and happy family.
In conclusion, while I do believe that every couple or individual has the freedom to choose how many children they want to have, I strongly advocate for responsible parenthood based on informed choices wherein social and economic capacity in achieving the desired family size and sustaining each members’ needs are carefully considered. This being said, the need to promote family planning counseling and its practice in our country where poverty, among other issues, remains rampant as a result of large family sizes is apparent.
- Are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Lawand its provisions? Elaborate your answer.
Yes, I am in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions. Although this law is quite controversial in a Catholic country like the Philippines, I believe that it is crucial in addressing the many prevailing issues associated with reproductive health in our country.
First and foremost, the Reproductive Health Law is important in addressing the alarming rates of unintended pregnancies that lead to increased family sizes. Many women in the Philippines are unable to achieve their desired family size and have more children than they intended. This is particularly striking among the poorest Filipino women who, on average, have been found to have nearly two children more than they intend to have. This issue could be minimized through the RH Law which guarantees universal and affordable access to appropriate family planning information and education, enabling women (or parents) to deliberately and responsibly decide on the number and spacing of their children. Considering that larger family sizes as a result of unintended pregnancies are directly associated with the high incidence of poverty, the RH Law is also favorable in this aspect as it plays an essential role in poverty reduction.
In relation, the Philippines having one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates among the ASEAN Member States is also another issue that the RH Law aims to resolve. With proper guidance and counseling on sexuality and reproductive health, particularly on modern contraception, the RH Law allows adolescents to make more informed choices even at an early age. In addition, the RH Law also guarantees access to contraceptives as means of reducing teenage pregnancies. These provisions are still controversial in the Filipino community as the use of modern contraception is not aligned with the religious beliefs of many Filipinos, especially since Catholics believe that abstinence is the only way to prevent these issues. While there is no doubt that abstinence is the best way to avoid unintended pregnancies, we cannot deny the fact that premarital sex has long been prevalent among Filipino youth. Hence, it is important to be reminded that the RH Law does not, in any way, promote premarital sex; rather, it offers access to reproductive health education to adolescents which aims to guide them towards making free and informed decisions regarding their own reproductive health and sexuality.
Most importantly, I am definitely in favor of the Reproductive Health Law as it ultimately embodies the non-discriminating healthcare that every Filipino deserves. It guarantees the provision of ethical and medically-safe, legal, accessible, affordable, non-abortifacient, effective, and quality reproductive health care services and supplies, which promotes people’s right to health, especially the women, the poor, and the marginalized. The RH Law, therefore, is favorable as it promotes social equality and women empowerment, enabling each member of society to practice their rights to achieve improved reproductive health and well-being for all.
References:
Cabral, E. (2013, April 23). Reproductive Health Law in the Philippines. https://www.asean-endocrinejournal.org/index.php/JAFES/article/view/48/471
Finer, L. B. & Hussain, R. (2013). Unintended Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion in the Philippines: Context and Consequences. Guttmatcher Institute. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/report/unintended-pregnancy-and-unsafe-abortion-philippines-context-and-consequences
Orbeta, A.C., Jr. (2005). Poverty, Vulnerability and Family Size: Evidence from the Philippines. ADB Institute Research Paper Series 68.
Philippine Statistics Authority. (n.d.). One in three births in the Philippines is unplanned. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/article/one-three-births-philippines-unplanned
The Medical City. (2020, May 4). Importance of Family Planning. Themedicalcity.Com. https://www.themedicalcity.com/news/family-planning-basic-human-right