Hontiveros refutes lies about prevention of adolescent pregnancy bill

Inquirer.net file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros is both shocked and outraged about circulating lies surrounding Senate Bill No. 1979, otherwise known as the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023.

Hontiveros, author of the bill, addressed what she deemed as mere “fabrications” in a press conference on Wednesday.

“Nakakagulat at nakakagalit ang mga kasinungalingan na kumakalat sa social media laban sa panukalang batas na ito. (The circulating lies about this bill is shocking and annoying.) We all want what’s best for our children, but outright lies, misinformation, disinformation, and promoting fear can lead to more harmful decisions about our teen’s lives. Nililito lang nila tayo,” she said.

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The opposition lawmaker’s remarks came after the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution’s Project Dalisay submitted an online petition seeking to junk SBN 1979, claiming that the legislation poses a significant threat to the country’s societal, moral, and spiritual foundations.

Lies

Hontiveros, during the press conference, debunked one by one these “lies,” maintaining that the legislation contains no provisions seeking to encourage masturbation to children aged 0 to 4 or teach bodily pleasure to children aged 6 to 9.

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“Absolutely none of those concepts exist in our bill. Those lines in their supposed rebuttal are complete and total fabrication,” said Hontiveros.

She likewise emphasized that the controversial Comprehensive Sexual Education is not derived from Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe, but only to responsible parenthood and reproductive health law.

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“Wala ring sinasabi sa bill na kailangan sundin ang mga patakaran sa ibang bansa. Kaya maling-mali talaga yang mga post nila na unconstitutional daw ang Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill,” said Hontiveros.

(The bill does not state that we have to adhere to the policies of other nations. Hence their claim that the bill is unconstitutional is wrong.)

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“I can confidently say [that] these outrageous claims from Project Dalisay were pulled out of thin air,” Hontiveros added.

Teenage pregnancy

She proceeded to lambast the group for causing fear in light of ballooning cases of teenage pregnancy which she deemed as a national emergency.

“Bilang ina ng apat na anak, na tatlo sa kanila ay babae, at bilang isang panghabambuhay na mananampalataya, hindi ko po hahayaang mabalot sa kasinungalingan ang mga bata,” Hontiveros stressed.

(As a mother of four, including three daughters and a prayerful mother, I will not allow children to be surrounded by lies.)

“Manindigan tayo sa tama. Hinihikayat ko rin ang ating mga allies at stakeholders na iparinig ang kanilang boses para maampat ang pagkalat nitong mga fake news na ito.”

(Let us stand up for what is right. I encourage allies and stakeholders to combat fake news.)

Online petition

Project Dalisay’s online petition is addressed to the Department of Education and members of the Philippine Senate.

Through the appeal, the group is enjoining the public to express their strong opposition to the implementation of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) program and the provisions of SBN 1979.

The group maintained that the CSE program “promotes a comprehensive approach to sexual health education, which includes topics that challenge traditional family values, such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and rights related to sexual activity and reproductive health.”

“The program introduces concepts like gender fluidity and “sexual diversity, suggesting that people can choose their sexual identity beyond the binary of male and female. It also emphasizes sexual rights, which could be interpreted as encouraging early sexual activity, and includes discussions on contraception, abortion, and non-traditional relationships. These concepts contradict traditional Christian and Islamic morality regarding marriage, procreation, and family life,” the petition reads.

“This bill also promotes the availability of contraception and reproductive health services to adolescents, a measure that we believe could encourage early sexual activity and undermine the values of abstinence and marital fidelity, which are vital tenets of Christian and Islamic teachings,” the petition added.

Points of concern

Still in their petition, Project Dalisay enumerated the following points of concern in relation to the structure of the controversial CSE program and SBN 1979:

• Undermining Parental Authority — According to Project Dalisay, the CSE program undermines parental authority to guide children on matters of faith, morality, and sexuality, claiming that it can teach children that “they have rights to confidentiality and privacy from their parents and provide information on accessing sexual commodities or services without parental consent.”
• Early Sexualization — The group says the curriculum may normalize child sex or desensitize children to sexual themes.
• Promoting Risky Behaviors — CSE, as believed by the family rights group, may normalize high-risk sexual behaviors, such as anal and oral sex, while omitting vital medical facts.
• Contradicting Constitutional Values — The group believes the CSE program may destroy the spiritual and moral development of the youth, contrary to the pro-God, pro-family, and pro-religion provisions of the Constitution.
• Promoting Homosexuality/Bisexuality — Project Dalisay warned that the curriculum may normalize or promote acceptance or exploration of diverse sexual orientations.
• Failing to Establish Abstinence – They also claimed that the CSE program may fail to establish abstinence as the expected standard for all school-age children.
• Introducing Age-Inappropriate Content — Lastly, Project Dalisay sounded the alarm, maintaining that the program introduces topics that are not appropriate for young minds.

“For example, at Grade 1, students may be asked to discuss private body parts in mixed-sex classrooms. At Grade 8, students may discuss identity crisis, sexual identity and sexual behaviors,  and pre-marital sex, teenage pregnancies and abortion,” their petition states.

With these in mind, the petitioners are appealing to DepEd and lawmakers that they withdraw the implementation of the CSE program, including its inclusion in the curriculum.

They likewise want DepEd and the Senate to “reject SBN 1979 and any provisions within it that enforce the mandatory implementation of CSE or promote policies that could encourage early sexual activity, reproductive health services for minors, and the normalization of non-traditional gender and sexual identities.”

“We firmly believe that the protection of parental rights, family values, and the moral upbringing of our children is essential to the future of our nation,” the group said.