What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it?
Family planning services provide education, counseling, and birth control options to help people make decisions about when and if they want to have children. Providing all people with access to their preferred contraceptive methods advances several human rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the security of the person; the right to health care and information; and the right to non-discrimination in the allocation of resources to health services and their availability and accessibility (World Health Organization, 2020).
Personally, I support the practice of family planning because it empowers women and improves the quality of life not only for the family but for the community as well. Unintended pregnancy can have a variety of unfavorable consequences for women, including delays in initiation of prenatal treatment, increased risk of maternal depression, reduced likelihood of breastfeeding, poor mother-child relationships, and increased risk of physical violence during pregnancy. Moreover, contraception reduces pregnancy-related health risks for women (particularly adolescent girls), reduces the risk of birth abnormalities and low birth weight in children, and decreases infant mortality rates as the gap between subsequent births widens (Cheng, Schwarz, Douglas, & Horon, 2009). Children from unintended births are also more likely to have poor mental and physical health during childhood, poor developmental outcomes, lower educational achievement, and more behavioral disorders in their teen years. On the other hand, parents welcoming intended births develop more positive attitudes towards parenting and enjoy better relationship quality with their children. Family planning also has many potential non-health benefits, including increased educational opportunities and long-term population expansion and economic development for countries (Logan et al.,2007).
I believe that family planning truly makes citizens stronger, healthier, and more productive, allowing them to better care for themselves and their children while also reducing the strain on limited resources. It goes hand-in-hand with sexual education to give citizens the information and skills they need to enjoy healthy, satisfying, and pleasant relationships and urge them to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive health and well-being.
Are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions? Elaborate on your answer.
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, also known as the Reproductive Health Law establishes a national policy on responsible parenting and reproductive health. Aimed at improving the country's health outcomes, the law requires the government to fully address Filipinos' reproductive health and responsible parenting requirements by ensuring that all citizens have access to information, facilities, and services related to reproductive health and by establishing collaborations between the public and the private sector to ensure stable and sustainable reproductive health programs (Simon, 2013).
I am in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions because it ensures that gender equality, equity, women's empowerment, and dignity are promoted as a health and human rights concern and as a social obligation. The lack of a reproductive health care policy disproportionately affects women who are economically disadvantaged, those belonging to younger age groups, and those belonging to indigenous groups from rural and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA). These sub-populations have the highest rates of unintended and closely-spaced pregnancies with their births commonly unattended by skilled health professionals. Through the law, access to RH services are boosted through enhanced Service Delivery Networks (SDN), provision of mobile health clinics, improved PhilHealth coverage of reproductive health services, ensured supply of reproductive health resources, and hiring and training of skilled health professionals (Commission on Population and Development, n.d.)
I believe that having more freedom in terms of reproductive health, allows individuals to have as many children as they desire while still being able to care for and provide for them. Economic studies, poverty incidence statistics, and maternal and infant mortality rates all point to a need in making reproductive health information, supplies, and services more inclusive to all. With the policies in place and effective implementation, empowered Filipinos are better equipped to make informed decisions about their health and families, as well as engage more fully and equally in society.
References:
Cheng, D., Schwarz, E. B., Douglas, E., & Horon, I. (2009). Unintended pregnancy and associated maternal preconception, prenatal and postpartum behaviors. Contraception, 79(3), 194–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2008.09.009
Commission on Population and Development. (n.d.). Responsible parenthood and reproductive health (RPRH)- General information. https://rpo8.popcom.gov.ph/responsible-parenthood-and-reproductive-health-rprh-general-information/#:~:text=The
Logan C, Holcombe E, Manlove J, et al. (2007). The consequences of unintended childbearing: A white paper. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy: Child Trends. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Consequences-of-Unintended-Childbearing-Logan-Ph./b353b02ae6cad716a7f64ca48b3edae63544c03e?p2df
Simon, F. (2013). A Primer on the Reproductive Health Law. https://www.plcpd.org.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/A-primer-on-the-Reproductive-Health-Law.pdf.
World Health Organization. (2020). Family planning/contraception methods.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/family-planning-contraception