Hontiveros Pushes for Bill to Advance Reproductive Health Rights

On Monday, SEN. Risa Hontiveros stated that the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law will be supplemented with the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy (PAP) Bill (Senate Bill 1979).

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa's claim that the reproductive health law is "enough" to handle teen pregnancy prompted Hontiveros to respond.

"Now that the teen pregnancy is still a national emergency, it is only right that we strengthen the RPRH Law," Hontiveros said. "It is only right that we pass a measure that mandates the government to direct our attention and resources to this particular issue of teen pregnancy."

The PAP bill, according to the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality's head, "is needed to empower adolescents to protect themselves."

"Whether we like it or not, data showed that there are young people who are sexually active and now face its consequences," she stated.

In addition to the required benefits under the RPRH law, they require adequate information and services supplied by the PAP bill, the senator stated.

"This is also why the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) Law we passed specifies that adolescents can access HIV testing and treatment even without the consent of parents," Hontiveros stated.

The Philippines' Raising the Age of Sexual Consent Law acknowledges that adolescents have the capacity to offer consent at the age of 16, enabling them to make decisions for their own health. The bill, which aims to institutionalize social assistance for adolescent parents and discourage adolescent pregnancies, has lost the support of seven senators.

The measure's mandated comprehensive sexuality education, which includes sex education instruction for kindergarteners and youngsters as young as four, has drawn criticism. A 2018 department order with policy guidelines for the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) program's implementation is being examined by the Department of Education.