What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it?
Family planning is one of the things that help ensure the psychological, physical, sociocultural, and economical preparedness of a couple before childbearing, which is highly essential in the health—survival, growth, and development—of the new individuals that will be living in this world. Moreover, FP assists the couple in creating a family with consideration of their wants and capabilities. Hence, I believe that family planning helps prevent unwanted pregnancies which will then result to lesser risky behaviors such as abortion, lesser abandoned and neglected children, more responsible parenthood, more loved and cared for children, and more positive impacts in each member of the family. As a future nurse who advocates for the health and wellbeing of every individual, I am, therefore, very much advocating for family planning.
Are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions? Elaborate your answer.
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 recognizes and protects all people’s human rights, including their right to equality and nondiscrimination in the exercise of these rights, the right to sustainable human development, the right to health, including reproductive health, the right to education and information, and the right to choose and decide for themselves in accordance with their religious beliefs, ethics, belief systems, and the demands of responsible parenthood. It aims to strengthen the family as the basic unit of society as well as protect the lives of the mother and the unborn baby. The State also guarantees the promotion of gender equality, equity, women empowerment, and dignity as a health and human rights concern, as well as a social responsibility. The development and protection of women's human rights must be at the core of the State’s initiatives to tackle reproductive health care. Aside from these, the law raises public awareness, health education, availability of safe, legal, accessible, and affordable health services and supplies, people’s right to choose FP method of preference, integration of responsible parenthood, and sexual and reproductive health programs for PWDs as well.
After reading the law and its contents, I believe that it is something that our country needs and that, if properly implemented, will benefit the Filipino people, particularly the marginalized. I am aware that in our conservative society, sexual and reproductive health is considered taboo and is highly stigmatized. However, if we do not talk about it, it will continue to raise serious health concerns, such as sexually transmitted diseases, unsafe abortion, and continual increase in the number of preterm babies. Also, the law places great emphasis on people’s access to healthcare based on their needs and preferences, which is an excellent point given that, as I previously indicated, our society is somewhat conservative, and not everyone is open to contraceptive use. In line with this, the law will allow access to information that may open people’s minds, especially those who are vulnerable to sexual and reproductive health problems. This could also help to alleviate our society’s persistent gender inequality by strengthening the rights of women and their unborn children. Lastly, I appreciate how inclusive this law is, taking into account PWDs.
Reference
Republic Act 10354: The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012. (2012, December 21). Retrieved from Republic of the Philippines, Philippine Commission on Women: https://pcw.gov.ph/republic-act-10354/.