1. What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it?
I support the practice of family planning that is appropriate to the health needs of the client and is a result of informed decision-making. Anyone in reproductive age should have sufficient access to family planning education and resources. The problem is that even for those who have knowledge on available methods of contraception, information and counselling on proper and effective use are lacking.
The youth are a special population group in reproductive health promotion. It seems undeniable that persistent conservative cultural beliefs in our country contribute to the ineffective use of contraception (Melgar et al., 2018). In addition, gender-based “norms”, stereotypes, power imbalances and issues on sexual violence also hinder optimal contraceptive use and family planning (Habito et al., 2021). Insufficient use of contraception, particularly among sexually active adolescents, results to increasing prevalence of unintended and teenage pregnancy, poor maternal and child health outcomes, HIV and STIs, and limited opportunities for education and employment (Pepito et al., 2021). These problems emphasize the need to promote proper use of birth control methods and address structural, political, and cultural barriers on increased practice of effective contraception and family planning.
It is good that efforts have been made to promote reproductive health through policies, formal education, and primary care services. The challenge is to consistently re-evaluate and improve their implementation to reach at-risk population and address the needs of the community. For instance, Nagai and colleagues (2019) found that although there are adequate supplies for effective contraceptives in primary care settings, counselling and follow-up care is problematic.Addressing underlying sociocultural inequalities is also necessary to more effectively promote reproductive health (Habito et al., 2021; Pepito et al., 2021). Indeed, access to essential health information from school, health institution, government and volunteer organizations, and even reliable digital platforms should be improved for high-risk populations, such as adolescents from low- and middle- income families and those living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in our country.
2. Are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions? Elaborate your answer.
Of course, I am in favor of the Reproductive Health Law except for some of its provisions. As women’s health and public health experts argued, the law is only partially consistent with the recommendations and guidelines set by the World Health Organization in promoting sexual and reproductive health (Melgar et al., 2018). Restrictive provisions exist – to name a few, these include the need for parental and spousal consent for minors and the criminalization of abortion with no exception, even cases of rape or life-threatening pregnancies. In other words, the law is “pro-life”, not pro-choice.
A review of Reproductive Health Law and related policies and documentation emphasized the strong influence of conservative Catholic beliefs and institutions throughout the decades (Melgar et al., 2018). Female adolescents, who have the highest risk of unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and under-5 mortality, can be misled because of constitution-based poor implementation and impact of reproductive health policies.
While it is good that there is a national law aiming for better reproductive health for all, there should be consistent reevaluation and improvements to make. Adolescent stakeholders should be encouraged to be more involved and their narratives understood in policymaking. Importantly, women should be seen as subjects, not as objects, in decision-making in these issues to achieve reproductive justice (Ngo et al., 2021).
References:
Habito, C. M., Vaughan, C., & Morgan, A. (2019). Adolescent sexual initiation and pregnancy: What more can be learned through further analysis of the demographic and health surveys in the Philippines?. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7451-4
Melgar, J. L., Melgar, A. R., Festin, M. P. R., Hoopes, A. J., & Chandra-Mouli, V. (2018). Assessment of country policies affecting reproductive health for adolescents in the Philippines. Reproductive Health, 15(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-018-0638-9
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), e0218187. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218187
Ngo, N. V., Pemunta, N. V., Basil, N., Estella Tembe, F., Eyambe, M. S., Ezra, K., ... & Ombugadu Sabo, E. (2021). Reproductive health policy saga: Restrictive abortion laws in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), unnecessary cause of maternal mortality. Health Care for Women International, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2021.1994971
Pepito, V. C., Amit, A. M. L., Tang, C. S., Aliazas, N. A. K., Sarah, J., Baquiran, R. S., & Tanchanco, L. B. S. (2021). Factors associated with pregnancy among Filipino women aged 15-19: Results from the 2017 Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-808908/v1