What do you think are the reasons for the high unmet need of FP in the Philippines?
There are indeed a lot of reasons that can be related to the high unmet need of family planning here in our country. The first reason is that of our religion. The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country and a religious one of that. Because of its strong religious beliefs, the people part of said religion are most likely conservative. In church teachings, it is stated that contraceptives are against natural law. This is because the act of sexual intercourse only has a purpose of procreation and not for pleasure. Because of this pre-marital sex is indeed taboo in our society. This now leads to another factor which is the lack of education.
Given that pre-marital sex is taboo is our country, sex education and reproductive health is not as comprehensive as compared to those in the Western hemisphere. Although there is a Reproductive Health Law, it is not implemented. Because of this, a lot of couples are still illiterate on this topic, especially those below the poverty line. This then leads to the “pull out” or withdrawal method which does not guarantee that you won’t get pregnant.
What are ways you can suggest to increase the practice of FP in the country? Give at least 1-2 suggestions.
Firstly, is debunking the taboos in society. Since Catholicism is a traditional religion, it may be hard for them to adapt to the changing times. With this, it is better for one to first identify the roots itself. In doing so, we will be able to make a compromise that can both benefit the religious values and the community as well.
Another suggestion is that of strengthening the reproductive health curriculum especially comprehensively in family planning. It is also better to make ti part of the high school curriculum given that most of the cases are from teenage pregnancies.