What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it?
As a student nurse, I have learned that one of the most important considerations in nursing care is the client’s/patient’s quality of life. With this in mind, I am in favor of family planning, as I believe that it is a valuable tool in improving the lives of Filipinos.
Family Planning allows families to achieve their desired size and birth spacing through the use of safe and effective modern methods. It offers many benefits to the mother, father, and child/ren. To begin with, mothers who utilize family planning methods are able to (1) regain their health post-delivery, (2) have enough time and opportunity to give love and attention to their family, (3) pursue personal endeavors and advancements, such as continuing/getting an education or focusing more on their career, and (4) have enough time for treatment and recovery if suffering from an illness, the last three of which are also applicable to the fathers. Another benefit of family planning to the parents, which I would like to emphasize, is that it lightens the burden and responsibility of supporting the family and allows them to better provide for the children’s basic needs. Speaking of which, children of healthy mothers will likely be healthy as well, and they will receive enough love, care, attention, and security from their parents. They will also be able to obtain most, if not all, of their basic needs.
With the family being the basic unit of society, improvements in their quality of life leads to advancements in society as well. In the Philippines where many poor families are large in number and lack access to knowledge or means of using family planning methods, there is a need for accessible and well-executed family planning programs.
Are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions?
Within the years 2015 to 2019 here in the Philippines, 54% (1.9 million) of all pregnancies were reported as unintended, and around 610,000 unsafe abortions were performed every year. The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law of 2012 (RH Law) guarantees (1) access to Reproductive Health (RH) and Family Planning (FP)services, with due regard to the informed choice of those who will accept these services, (2) maternal health care services, including skilled birth attendance and facility-based deliveries, (3) reproductive health and sexuality education for the youth, and (4) regular funding for the law’s full implementation.
With the objectives and provisions of the RH Law in mind, I admit that I am in favor of it. If properly implemented, I believe that this law will help destigmatize the various aspects of reproductive health, such as family planning, and make them more accessible to Filipinos. It will provide citizens with complete and credible information on reproductive health that will empower and allow them to make informed choices regarding their health. It will provide at-risk populations with access to services that help prevent, treat, and manage sexually-transmitted infections (STI) and HIV/AIDS. Lastly, it will aid in the elimination of sexual and gender-based violence.
References
Nagai, M., Bellizzi, S., Murray, J., Kitong, J., Cabral, E. I., & Sobel, H. L. (2019). Opportunities lost: Barriers to increasing the use of effective contraception in the Philippines. PLOS One, 14(7), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218187
Simon, F. M. (2013, March). A primer on the Reproductive Health Law [PDF]. Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc. https://www.plcpd.org.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/A-primer-on-the-Reproductive-Health-Law.pdf
What are the benefits of using family planning methods? (n.d.). Philippine Department of Health. https://doh.gov.ph/faqs/What-are-the-benefits-of-using-family-planning