Senator Risa Hontiveros is pushing for a national policy on the prevention of teenage pregnancy.
Hontiveros, sponsor of Senate Bill 1888 or the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act, on Saturday said the proposal would highlight the importance of informed choices when it comes to pregnancy.
“This bill has made measures to equip our children with the knowledge and guidance to make choices that they believe are the best for themselves,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
Citing a 2013 study on Adult Fertility and Sexuality, Hontiveros said 23 percent of Filipino youth were already having sex before reaching the age of 18.
This, according to the senator, resulted in a growing number of young parents that get even younger.
“We want our children to be children and to actually have a childhood,” Hontiveros said.
“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,” she added.
Under the proposed bill, Hontiveros said a Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Council will be created that will craft a national medium-term plan to address the issue of teenage pregnancy.
The bill also reiterates the importance of education in the prevention of teenage pregnancy as it also reminds schools that suspension, expulsion, dismissal, or denial of admission of pregnant girls are prohibited.