Marcos urged to prioritize reproductive health education

As President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, 28 July, the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN) reminded the chief executive that it's high time to focus on reproductive health education.

Citing the concerning rise in adolescent pregnancies, with some as young as eight years old, RHAN attributed this to the lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services information, as well as the rising sexual abuse of young adolescents and older children.

It also expressed concern with the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) recent report that there were 3,343 pregnancies among girls below 15 years old registered in 2023, including an eight-year-old child who became the youngest mother in the country.

"To us, these are over 3,000 girls at risk of early death and illness, and poor outcomes for their newborns, particularly low birth weight newborns," RHAN stated.

These minors, RHAN underscored, have partnered with old men, and often the fathers are unnamed and do not carry any responsibility to care for their children.

"Minors who are mothers are economically burdened by an unplanned pregnancy and are left with poorer employment opportunities as they drop out of school and are burdened by childcare," it added.

Lack of comprehensive contraception education

The organization stressed that adolescent pregnancy in the older age groups 15 to 19, which comprise about 97 percent of all adolescent births, and are directly the result of young people not using effective contraception, can equally harm young women's physical and mental health.

It could also endanger their life opportunities through educational and socioeconomic goals.

"This reflects not only a public health emergency, but also systemic gaps in education, access to adolescent-friendly health services, and institutional support for young people from local governments and communities," RHAN said.

Invest in Reproductive Rights Education

To address these concerns, the Reproductive Health Education, which is provided for under the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law, should be prioritized as it remains under-implemented and misunderstood across many communities, according to reproductive rights advocates.

"In your previous pronouncements, you acknowledged this reality by calling teenage pregnancy a 'very difficult situation' for both child and parent," the group pointed out.

"You also affirmed the importance of Reproductive Health Education as 'very, very, very important.' These statements are powerful and timely," it added.

With that, RHAN called on the President to affirm his administration to support for the full implementation of the RPRH Law, including the Reproductive Health Education across all public and private schools, consistent with the learners' right to health and age- and development-appropriate life-saving information.

It also urged Marcos to support legislative measures in his 20th Congress that prevent adolescent pregnancy, including improved access to health services and accurate reproductive health information; reject misinformation that equates Comprehensive Sex Education with indoctrination or moral corruption; and invest in teacher training, parent engagement, and youth-led programs that make Reproductive Health Education more relevant, acceptable, and effective.

"Mr. President, the future of the Philippines depends on the well-being and empowerment of its youth. Your words recognizing the importance of Reproductive Health Education gave us hope," it said.

"We now ask for your sustained leadership to ensure that no Filipino adolescent is left behind, uninformed, or unprotected. Let this year’s SONA echo a renewed commitment to education, health, and rights for every Kabataang Pilipino."