Hontiveros: No risky clauses in anti-teen pregnancy bill

FILE PHOTO: Senator Risa Hontiveros during the Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday assured President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that he has nothing to worry about the proposed Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023.
According to the principal author of Senate Bill (SB) No. 1979, it does not contain the provisions that the president finds problematic, such as teaching four-year-olds how to masturbate and the right to try different sexualities.
Marcos earlier claimed to have read SB No. 1979 and said he was “shocked” and “appalled” by certain provisions of the proposed measure.
READ: Hontiveros refutes lies about prevention of adolescent pregnancy bill
Marcos even guaranteed to veto the bill in its current form.
However, Hontiveros clarified that the bill does not contain the points he talked about.
“Mr. President, with all due respect, maliwanag na wala po sa bill kahit ‘yung salita na ‘masturbation.’ Wala din po ‘yung ‘try different sexualities’,” the senator said in a statement.
READ: Controversial teen pregnancy bill gets Marcos backing
(Mr. President, with all due respect, it is clear that the word “masturbation” is not in the bill. It also does not contain “try different sexualities.”)
Comprehensive Sexuality Education
“CSE (Comprehensive Sexuality Education) contains the very same things you support: teaching kids anatomy, consequences of early pregnancy, ‘yan po ang atin ding sinusulong (that is what we are pushing for),” she added.
READ: Teen centers in Cebu City pushed amid rising teen pregnancy cases
Hontiveros likewise assured Marcos that she is open to amendments to further “refine the bill” to “steer it to passage.”
This is not the first time Hontiveros tried to dispel “fabricated” provisions of SB No. 1979, stressing they are mere misinformation.
She even previously assured Filipinos that all questions raised regarding the legislation would be threshed out once Senate floor debates on the bill are opened.
Hontiveros also clarified that under SB No. 1979, otherwise known as the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023, the implementation of the CSE will be guided by the Department of Education and international standards.
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