Organon, a global healthcare company dedicated to making a difference for women, reaffirmed its commitment to making family planning accessible to Filipinos.
Family planning empowers women to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, enabling them to pursue education and career opportunities, fostering economic empowerment, and elevating social status. It also enhances maternal and child health by reducing the risks associated with unintended pregnancies. However, there remains an urgent need to strengthen efforts on family planning in the Philippines.
In 2019, the Philippine government declared teenage pregnancy a “national social emergency,” noting that the number of adolescent pregnancies had become a “national concern.” According to 2022 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country recorded a 5.4% teenage pregnancy rate among Filipino women aged 15 to 19.
Advocates have urged legislators to pass a law addressing adolescent pregnancies. The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation aimed at addressing the root causes of adolescent pregnancy. It calls for comprehensive sexuality education, improved access to adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services, and data collection mechanisms to inform future policies and programs.
In support of adolescent pregnancy prevention, Organon remains unwavering in its mission to empower women through comprehensive family planning solutions. Collaborating with a wide range of organizations worldwide committed to women’s health, the company strives to provide education, training, and enhanced access to family planning services.
At the recent Family Planning 2030 Regional Workshop, organized by the Department of Health and the Family Planning 2030 Asia Pacific Regional Hub, Organon participated as a panelist to emphasize the importance of providing equal access to fertility treatments.
During the workshop, Carole Lopez, market access, policy, and communication lead of Organon SHIP Sub-Cluster (Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the Philippines), said, “At Organon, we advocate for equal access to treatments. We believe that everyone should be able to grow their family, no matter where they live, their financial circumstances, their sexual orientation, their relationship or gender status, or their demographic and cultural background. However, in many countries, barriers to accessing contraceptive and fertility treatments persist, particularly for certain populations. Our goal is to bring the community together to advocate for education and policy reforms to ensure equal access to treatments and services for all aspiring parents around the world.”
Empowering women
Central to Organon’s initiatives is the “Her Plan is Her Power” campaign, which fosters community-led responses and collective action to reduce unplanned pregnancies. This campaign empowers women and girls by addressing barriers and inequities that perpetuate unplanned pregnancies, equipping them with the tools and knowledge they need to better plan their futures.
Organon has pledged to help prevent 120 million unplanned pregnancies worldwide by 2030 and is nearly halfway toward achieving this goal. This initiative underscores the company’s dedication to creating a future where women can make choices that positively impact their lives and communities.
Through this campaign, Organon aims to enhance innovation in contraception access, bolster awareness of reproductive health, including contraceptive options and their correct use, expand access to contraceptive solutions, and partner with other organizations to strengthen healthcare systems via stronger policies, data, capacity, and representation of the voices of women and girls.
In the Philippines, the healthcare company also launched its “Nanay’s Day Out” program, a series of events focusing on educating, protecting, and engaging mothers in their journey as women. In every event, Organon emphasizes that family planning safeguards the well-being of mothers and their partners. In 2024, the program had so far been launched in Biñan City, Laguna province, Cavite province, and Pasig City.
Healthier future
Organon’s overarching goal is to build a world where women, the pillars of a thriving society, can access solutions that meet their unique health needs. This vision drives every initiative and partnership, fueling a commitment to not just dream of a better future but to actively create it.
By addressing health conditions unique to women, those that affect them disproportionately, or impact them differently, the company ignites its purpose to advance the complete health of women at all stages of their lives. Organon’s diverse portfolio offers solutions across various areas, including reproductive health, cardiovascular disease, neurology, autoimmune, and respiratory conditions.
“Universal access to sexual and reproductive health is well recognized as a crucial component of FP2030. We feel Organon can play a significant role. By addressing gender-related disparities in health, we build a more sustainable future for women, families, economies, and society,” said Lopez.
By convening and catalyzing an ecosystem of like-minded partners and innovators, Organon sparks collective action to usher in a new era in healthcare that empowers women globally. This includes improving research, enhancing education, investing in partnerships to expand options, and advancing gender equity.
