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What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it?
To be honest, the first thing that came to mind when I hear the word "family planning" is the five-year age gap between my siblings and me. I recently asked my mother, out of curiosity, if they consulted for family planning back then, and she confirmed that they did. After learning that my parents had used family planning in the past, I was even more convinced to support the practice. Our family is an example of a successful result of family planning, for which I am delighted. We aren't wealthy, but we have enough to live comfortably. One of the major factors, in my opinion, has been the practice of family planning. I've just learned that having a five-year gap between us has been quite useful because my parents were able to save enough money given the extra time they had between each of us going to college.
According to our lecture, family planning consists of four key principles: responsible parenthood, respect for life, birth spacing, informed choice, and volunteerism. In general, all of these concepts are intended to give counsel to partners wanting to create a family in order to guarantee a healthy future. As a student nurse and someone who has witnessed firsthand the positive effects of family planning, I see no reason why I shouldn't advocate for it to others, particularly the poor and marginalized. I feel that this practice can benefit many families in the same way that it has helped ours.
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Are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions? Elaborate your answer.
The Reproductive Health Health Law, commonly known as the "Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012," is a law that establishes a national policy on responsible parenthood and reproductive health. It requires the government to fully meet Filipinos' reproductive health and responsible parenting requirements. Through informed choice and education appropriate to age and development, the law aspires to empower Filipinos, particularly women and adolescents. Furthermore, the legislation ensures that the poor have access to information, facilities, and services by establishing collaborations between national and local governments, as well as CSOs, basic sectors, academic institutions, and the private sector, to provide stable and sustainable reproductive health programs (Official Gazette, 2013).
Similar to my former stance, I support this law because I see how their goals are similar–both aim to give counsel for responsible parenthood and reproductive health. What interests me about this law is that it has guiding principles that ensure that it is based on all people's human rights, including their right to equality and non-discrimination, 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 make their own decisions based on their religious convictions, ethics, cultural beliefs, and the demand for accountability (PCW, 2012).
There’s just one concept however, that’s been bothering me with RH Law. In this law, there is a provision with abortifacient methods (Cabral, 2013). I understand why abortion isn't permitted because of "Respect for Life," but don't they also give "Respect for Life" if they need an abortion due to unforeseen circumstances? For example, if keeping the baby alive in the mother's womb will only cause the baby to suffer, isn't choosing to abort a choice to respect the baby's life as well? Well, this is just one of my realizations; I believe that many others have already seen this and are taking action to address it. Again, if RH Law's benefits outweigh the risks, I don't have anything further to say.
References:
Cabral. (2013). Reproductive Health Law in the Philippines. JAFES, 2308–118x. https://www.asean-endocrinejournal.org/index.php/JAFES/article/view/48/471
Official Gazette. (2013, March 18). Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 10354 | GOVPH. Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2013/03/18/implementing-rules-and-regulations-of-republic-act-no-10354/
Philippine Commission on Women. (2012). Republic Act 10354: The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 | Philippine Commission on Women. GOVPH. https://pcw.gov.ph/republic-act-10354/