1. What do you think are the reasons of high unmet need of FP in the Philippines?
2. What are ways you can suggest to increase the practice of FP in the country? Give least 1-2 suggestions.
1. I think the primary reasons contributing to the high unmet need of family planning in the Philippines are: lack of knowledge and awareness, lack of accessible resources, social pressures stemming from cultural and (primarily) religious opposition, and preconceived notions and misconceptions on family planning. The first - lack of knowledge and awareness - is an overarching problem considering that although contraceptives had been made and mandated to be made more accessible to the public especially since the legislation of the Reproductive Health Law, gaps in the public's knowledge on the role, importance, or let alone existence of family planning methods prevent these provisions from being utilized by populations in need and interest of them. As for accessibility of resources, although many health centers and facilities in Metro Manila can attest to the easy access of family planning resources, it can be expected that many rural areas and regions away from urban centers do not have that same luxury and are thus limited with regards to its people's options. The cultural and religious controversies surrounding the concept of family planning that are primarily rooted in conservative views and beliefs concerning the morality of using contraceptives are especially relevant as well considering that a significant portion of the Philippines' population is comprised of these cultures and religions opposing family planning. The notion that nonreproductive sexual activities are taboo is a leading factor of the social pressures discouraging many from practicing family planning. Many of these opposing arguments and stances bleed into the preconceived notions and misconceptions surrounding family planning that further discourage many from practicing it. These include, but are not limited to: the idea that family planning is abortifacient, dangerous, or even just expensive adds to this discouragement.
2. To resolve these problems and increase the practice of family planning in the country, health teaching should be done as an initial and comprehensive approach. This can be done through the implementation of sex and reproductive health education in primary and secondary education. Students, as early as appropriate, should be educated of their rights, norms and practices, and eventually on their reproductive health. This is to ensure that discussion of sexuality and reproduction is open, safe, and comfortable to students. This may even help address instances of unsafe sex due to a combination of curiosity and peer pressure which is commonly reported and seen in teenage populations. Adding to this, the government and local government units should also subsidize and assist health facilities in conducting drives and programs promoting education on reproductive health and family planning. This way, communities and families lacking in either knowledge or awareness on family planning may be accounted for.