Hontiveros asks Congress to pass measure to prevent teenage pregnancy

By Mario Casayuran

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, chairwoman of the Senate committee on women, has formally asked Congress to pass a measure to develop a national program of action and an investment plan for the prevention of teenage pregnancy.

Senator Risa Hontiveros (Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN)

In a sponsorship speech of Senate Bill 1482, or “The Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act” during the Senate regular session, Hontiveros said her committee report on the bill mandates all provinces and chartered cities to organize and operationalize an Information and Service Delivery Network for Adolescent Health and Development (ISDN-AHD).

Among the services advanced by the measure, according to Hontiveros, are postnatal family planning and counseling, workshops on parenting as well as psycho-social and mental health support for teenage mothers.

She said the bill also reminds educational institutions and places of employment that suspension, expulsion, dismissal or denial of admission is prohibited against pregnant girls.

Hontiveros said teenage pregnancy in the country has been a growing concern.

Citing data from the Commission on Population (PopCom), the lady lawmaker said the number of teenage pregnancy cases has increased from 1,700 in 2014 to 1,986 in 2015.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reported that teenage pregnancy remains a challenge in the Philippines despite the country’s strong support for family planning.

“We want our children to be children and to actually have a childhood. It is our duty, not only as legislators, but also as parents, to equip them with the knowledge they need to navigate the new and seemingly vast terrain of puberty and reproductive health and to guide them as they grow into adulthood that is not jarred by expectations of parenthood,” Hontiveros said.

‘’Our young parents are getting even more younger and growing in a number we have never seen before. In 2012, there were 2,815 girls aged 15-19 years old and 12 girls younger than 15 years old have already given birth to their 3rd child. In the same year, 302 girls aged 15-19 years old have given birth to their 4th child and 60 girls in the same age range are already mothers to five children. In an age where they should be busy going to school and worrying about school projects, they are burdened with the heavy responsibilities of parenthood,’’ she pointed out.

These are the numbers of the girls who gave birth and lived to tell the tale. The gift of life sometimes come at the cost of death. In 2012 alone, 128 per 1,000 Filipinas aged 15-19 years old have died giving birth while 255 per 1,000 girls aged 20-24 died in birthing rooms around the country. In fact, globally, the number one cost of death for girls age 15 to 19 is not AIDS, not hunger, it’s not ever war — it’s child birth,’’ she added.