What is your opinion about the practice of family planning? Are you for it or against it? and are you in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions? Elaborate your answer.
An argument often said against family planning and the reproductive health law is that "ALl life is precious", which condones abortions and the use of contraceptives, preferring the natural order instead and expecting every pregnancy to be completed and the infant raised to adulthood completely. I find this argument focuses only on the life of the child and ignoring that of the mother. What if the mother is incapable of taking care of the child or severely restrained or even unwilling? What if the child was not conceived out of consent? What if the mother is too young even? Would the pregnancy then damage life more than preserve it as is intended "religiously"?
Placing value on life is understandable but to neglect one for another would only hurt both. As such, I am all for family planning. It is not for society to decide after all if the childbearer should keep their child, for it is the pregnant mother that knows her own situation, capabilities, and not the general populace. It is then up to their support persons, their family and friends, to aid them in making a decision, not dictate it and educate them if need be.
In some cases, it may need to be clarified that family planning refers to planning before conception, hence the use of artifical methods, such as contraception, or natural methods, such as the fertility awareness method, unless the intent is to actually begin their own family and with both partners willing to do their part and fully committed through thick and thin.
I am in favor of the Reproductive Health Law and its provisions for the aforementioned reasons as it aims to make family planning resources more accessible to the general public, especially supplies and education, and help them become more aware and conscious of the consequences of actions related to sexual endeavors. With access to information and resources, hopefully it would limit the occurrence of early pregnancies as a result of sexual exploration or curiosity without knowing the possible outcomes. Increasing awareness and availabliity of family planning methods will allow a greater population to make smarter decisions and avoid misconceptions that can endanger not only their child, but also themselves. I do find it concerning that abortion can be criminalized, but to continue with an unplanned pregnancy without the means to support oneself and the incoming child due to fear and without access to means to change their situation would only worsen the family and bring up a child in an inoptimal environment.
In short, I am in full support of family planning while the Reproductive Health Law should add focus on women being able to make a choice, especially the pregnant ones and those with unplanned pregnancies, as they should be able to change their futures and shape it. After all, they are the ones that bear the child and at the same time, risking their lives to do so. It is their choice then that truly matters.
References:
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012. Retrieved from https://pcw.gov.ph/republic-act-10354/?msclkid=a1953759b36611ec97cc27d7bff9f0c1