What do you think are the reasons of high unmet need of FP in the Philippines?
In 2017, 17% of married women of reproductive age in the country had unmet needs for family planning while it was 49% for unmarried sexually active women according to the PSA and ICF as reported by Nagai et.al. (2019). Nagai and colleagues (2019) stated that several barriers resulted in these statistics. Two of which are the social norm that paradoxically discourages the use of contraception by unmarried women and religion-based opposition. These are true in the Philippines.
With religion having a large influence on the Philippine society and our norms and practices, the church and biblical beliefs play a hand in what the people consider to be ethical and modest day-to-day actions. Conversations on topics regarding sex are taboo. Sexual education is deemed “improper” and unsuitable for the youth and adolescents to learn. This has led to a basic lack of information access on contraceptives (i.e., knowledge of method and source of supply) (Machiyama et. al., 2017). The importance and objectives of using contraceptives are not discussed. The concept of family planning is hidden to most as this is seen as opposition towards religion and the natural law. Actions towards adopting and continuing the use of contraception are discouraged for the possibility of women being labeled as immodest or a harlot.
The status quo headed and influenced by religion contributes to the high unmet need for family planning in the Philippines.
What are ways you can suggest to increase the practice of FP in the country? Give least 1-2 suggestions.
In order to increase the practice of family planning in the country, I suggest that an active conversation with the community and religious organizations be conducted/continued in order to communicate the use and objectives of family planning in addressing societal issues such as unwanted pregnancies, abortion, teenage pregnancy, and poverty. This will be complicated because past dialogues with the Church regarding sexual health have been difficult as evidenced by the long process of turning the RH bill into law and the delayed implementation of such law. Difficult as it is, it is necessary to address misconceptions on the topic and to tackle the cultural and religious roots of the unmet need in the country.
Hand-in-hand with this, continuing the execution of sexual education is important in order to spread information regarding contraception and to debunk myths and misinformation about such. This should formally be conducted especially in high schools in order to provide young people the knowledge and skills they need for a lifetime of good sexual health. Curriculums should be reviewed by certified medical professionals or qualified educators in order to ensure a cohesive, unbiased, and respectful syllabus.
REFERENCES:
Machiyama, K. et.al. (2017). Reasons for unmet need for family planning, with attention to the measurement of fertility preferences: protocol for a multi-site cohort study. Reprod Health 14, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-016-0268-z
Nagai, M. et.al. (2019). Opportunities lost: Barriers to increasing the use of effective contraception in the Philippines. PLoS One 14, 7. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218187