SB 1979: Unveiling the controversy

Senate Bill 1979, also known as the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023, is stirring up quite a controversy.

Authored by Senator Risa Hontiveros, the bill is aimed at tackling the alarming issue of adolescent pregnancy, with some cases involving girls as young as 10 years old.

Not everyone is on board with this bill, though. Some senators are getting cold feet, certainly not from the cool breeze of change. They’re feeling the heat from conservative groups that are not exactly thrilled about the idea of comprehensive sex education being brought into the limelight.

There’s a lot of back and forth going on in the Senate. Some senators, including former bill co-authors, who once waved pom-poms for this bill, now contemplate throwing in the towel.

The opposition — the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution, led by former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno — has been waving its flag high, arguing that this bill could potentially take away parental consent when it comes to sex education, sneaking it into the school curriculum under Comprehensive Sexuality Education.

Online commentators say it is not just a bill but also a ticking time bomb that threatens to explode the innocence of our children and shatter the moral fabric of our society.

This piece of legislation may sound harmless on the surface, but the devil may be in the details that are as dark and disturbing as they come. Maybe…

Chatter on Senate Bill 1979 has flooded social media recently, like a burst dam caused by a supertyphoon.

Is this for real? Based on the UNESCO technical working guide for the bill, the curriculum covers the following topics: (1) Educating children as young as 4 years old about self-exploration; (2) Introducing 6-year-olds to the idea of experiencing bodily sensations through the five senses; and (3) Recognizing that by age 9, children have fundamental rights in relation to their sexuality.

Peeling back the layers, we might uncover a shivering darkness. The stakes are high, the tension is thick, and the future of adolescent education hangs in the balance.

If indeed what Senate Bill 1979, also called the Anti-Teen Pregnancy Bill, is advocating for is repulsive and vile, then it risks corrupting the minds and hearts of our precious children and strips away the right of parents to protect their own flesh and blood.

Never can parents be told that they have no say in what their child is taught and no right to shield them from inappropriate and harmful content. It is a nightmare scenario that no parent should ever have to face.

As Senate leaders and the Education Committee chair prepare to roll out the red carpet for serious inquiries, may all sides be heard, the concerns addressed head-on, and a resolution reached that will satisfy everyone.

Let’s hope that at the end of the day, we can all come together, raise a toast to progress, and make the right choice for our future generations.