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What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it?
The practice of family planning provides many benefits and outweighs the associated risk related especially to the use of invasive non-traditional family planning methods. I am 100% sure that I am in favor of this and will commit myself as a future healthcare professional to be an advocate to the continuous practice and health education of family planning. Mentioning some of the key importance of continuous family planning at the family level, will allow the family, especially partners since this is a shared responsibility to have substantial knowledge in ways on how they can be responsible for their decisions in reproduction. They can assess effectively the current situation of their family in terms of psychosocial, economic, and physical capacity in order for them to still achieve their aspirations for their family as well as the needs of their children. Looking on a wider lens at a population or national level, the practice of family planning can reduce the maternal and infant mortality and morbidity rate since much evidence-based research shows that family planning protects women in the reproductive age from health risks that may occur before, during or after childbirth. Through this practice, we can also lessen unwanted pregnancies, especially to the adolescent girls and thus removing also the option for illegal unsafe abortion.
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Are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions? Elaborate your answer.
Under the Republic Act 10354 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Law Filipinos can now receive benefits that will provide them with comprehensive information and details they should know as well as an inclusive provision of different services related to reproductive health. With the overall goal of this law I am definitely in favor that this law has been passed despite being controversial, especially to the Roman Catholic Church. Just like what we future healthcare professionals advocates, we should always weigh the advantages and disadvantages of this but as the health of the majority of the Filipinos especially women and children, I can see that this would provide more benefits than risks. One of the provisions of this law is that there is a continuous program of both the national and local government units that will address perennial problems of the country focusing mainly on maternal mortality, child mortality, teenage and unwanted pregnancies and prevalence of different STDs such as HIV and AIDS.
Another provision that this law provides is that it will ensure that Filipino partners and the youth will have access to information and services to Reproductive Health and Family Planning which means that this law helps them achieve basic human rights such as right to make decisions relative to their current capacity and condition, right to have a sustainable human development, right to equality and hopefully free from any discrimination.
Another thing that this law provides is that it will strengthen the provision of reproductive health and family planning services to geographically isolated and advantaged areas such as those in urban poor communities and rural ones where healthcare is still out of reach leading to having not enough information of partners and adolescents to what exactly reproductive health and family planning are. As mandated, the state shall increase the funding and other necessary assistance to build or upgrade hospitals, facilities, procure medical supplies as well as provide enough training to attendance and healthcare professionals.
Overall this law will make Filipino people to be empowered and informed in many areas of reproductive health, especially to different contraceptive use and what is the most cost-efficient and yet effective in relation to their psychosocial and economic capacity and will also help prevent the high prevalence of STDs in our country. The continuous support, appropriate implementation, and routine evaluation of the effectiveness of different programs will also help the government to decide what areas should be focused on more.
References:
The Medical City. (2020,May 04). Importance of Family Planning. Retrieved March 21, 2022 fromhttps://www.themedicalcity.com/news/family-planning-basic-human-right#:~:text=Family%20planning%20helps%20protect%20women,%2C%20infections%2C%20miscarriage%20and%20stillbirth.
Department of Health .(n.d.). What are the benefits of using Family Planning. Retrieved March 21, 2022 from https://doh.gov.ph/faqs/What-are-the-benefits-of-using-family-planning
Simon, F. (2013, March). 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.