Senator Risa Hontiveros urged the Department of Health (DOH) to support the proposed Senate Bill (SB) 1979 or the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act, saying it complements and strengthens the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law.
“I would like to remind the Department of Health Secretary that the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill strengthens the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law,” she said in a statement.
Hontiveros emphasized that teenage pregnancy remains a national emergency that requires targeted government attention and resources, and SB 1979 would provide adolescents with the information and services they need to make informed decisions about their health.
“Whether we like it or not, data shows that there are young people who are sexually active and are currently facing the consequences of this. They need appropriate information and services, in addition to what is provided in the RPRH Law. Their health protection should not be denied,” Hontiveros said.
The senator pointed out that the HIV Law allows adolescents to access testing and treatment without parental consent, while the Raising the Age of Sexual Consent Law acknowledges their ability to make health decisions at 16.
SB 1979, meanwhile, is designed to empower adolescents to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa earlier argued that new legislation is unnecessary because the RH Law already includes sex education and access to contraception.
“Sex education is already there; we just need to implement the RH Law correctly,” Herbosa said in a radio interview.
Herbosa noted that teenage pregnancy rates remain high and linked unplanned pregnancies to increased maternal mortality rates in the country.
He added that maternal mortality rose from 124 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies a decade ago to 154 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies today.
Comprehensive sexuality education is a key provision in Hontiveros’ proposed bill, which was recently revised to address concerns raised by President Marcos about its earlier version.
