1. What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it?
Family planning refers to the program that allows parents to make informed decisions about the number and spacing of their children by deferring birth for the time being, or even indefinitely. Moreover, it is not a diagnosis thrust upon the parents, but rather a manifestation of good parenting based on the couples' educated choices and preferences to attain their desired family size within their social and economic capabilities (Department of Health, n.d.).
With this, I believe that family planning produces more benefits than drawbacks. For instance, taking into consideration one’s family size based on the social and economic capabilities creates an opportunity to reduce the number of children who do not receive adequate holistic support from their parents. Specifically, poverty-stricken families may produce children who do not acquire the basic needs for them to strengthen their growth and development. This does not only affect them physically but eventually also emotionally and mentally. I believe that couples that plan to have children must ensure that they are financially and emotionally able to care for a human being since this would be a lifetime commitment.
In addition, family planning also enables women to use their option of deciding when to have a child. With this, the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions may significantly decline.
2. Are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions? Elaborate your answer.
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, or the RH Law, is a pioneering law that ensures universal and free access to practically all modern contraception at government health centers for all citizens, including underprivileged populations. The law also establishes a requirement for reproductive health education in public schools and recognizes a woman's right to post-abortion care as part of her right to reproductive healthcare.
As a woman, I aspire to have equal status in matters related to sexual relations and reproductions as men. This is why I am very much in favor of the Reproductive Health Law as this allows women to regain control of fertility, health, and lives with universal and free access to modern contraception ( ). Reproductive Health Law is important to prevent women from resorting to illegal means to delay their pregnancy, as this does not only harm the child but may also pose health risks to the woman. I would like to uphold my freedom to decide when or if I would like to bear a child, provided that this would not go against the law. Furthermore, usage of traditional contraceptives has a high failure rate which consequently puts a woman to a higher risk of acquiring pregnancy-related health problems.
Women have the right to their own bodies, and it is not up to conservative Catholic groups to dictate whether it is anti-life or not. Besides, the law does not limit the number of children a family can have, it just prioritizes women’s access to proper reproductive health resources so as not to endanger them further before, during, and after undergoing pregnancy.
References:
Department of Health. (n.d.). What is meant by Family Planning? | Department of Health website. https://doh.gov.ph/faqs/What-is-meant-by-Family-Planning#:%7E:text=POPCOM%20defines%20Family%20Planning%20as,an%20indefinite%20period%2C%20a%20birth.
Goldberg, J. (2022, February 22). Philippine Supreme Court Upholds Historic Reproductive Health Law. Center for Reproductive Rights. https://reproductiverights.org/philippine-supreme-court-upholds-historic-reproductive-health-law/#:%7E:text=The%20Responsible%20Parenthood%20and%20Reproductive,communities%2C%20at%20government%20health%20centers.