Pregnancies among adolescents remain a persistent problem in the Philippines with the data indicating that some of them were cases of repeat childbearing at young age, the Commission on Population Development (CPD) has disclosed.
CPD Executive Director Lisa Grace S. Bersales said such data highlights the urgency to continue addressing the reproductive rights and empowerment of young people to make informed choices and decisions.
“CPD recognizes and upholds the inherent rights of every Filipino to make informed decisions regarding family planning and contraception,” said Bersales, as she disclosed the agency’s move to strengthen partnership with international organizations with a common interest in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people worldwide.
Citing data registered births that include civil registry and vital statistics, Bersales said the Philippines has recorded an increasing number of livebirths among girls aged 10 to 14 years in 2020 and 2021.
The same data also disclosed that 17 of the total births among 10 to 19 years old in 2020 and 2021 were cases of repeat pregnancies, or already the second birth and over.
Based on the experts’ analysis, some factors contributing to the prevalence of adolescent pregnancies include lack of reproductive health information and services.
The good news, however, is that the proportion of women aged 15 to 19 years who have begun childbearing declined from 8.6 percent in 2017 to 5.4 percent in 2022.
Partnerships
Bersales, however, said intervention are needed to address the problem, including the participation of the CPD this year’s World Contraception Day theme “Your Life Your Choice.
“This year’s WCD themes of ‘Your Life, Your Choice’ and locally: ‘Usap Tayo sa Family Planning,’ capture the essence of exercising those rights, which aim to ultimately benefit Filipino women and young girls into enjoying their full potential and capacities as contributors to the country’s human capital development,” said Bersales.
Bersales pointed out that collaborations with allied partners such as Bayer Philippines, the FORUM and other similar-minded groups are crucial in enabling Filipinos to enjoy their rights to family planning and contraception.
This was evident, she disclosed, in the most recent National Demographic and Health Survey in 2022, where most Filipino married women 15 to 49 years old are using modern contraceptive methods at 41.8 percent, with the pill as the most preferred at 19.8 percent.
Bayer Philippines managing director and Country Division Head of Pharmaceuticals Angel-Michael Evangelista said there has been a lot of progress over the years in increasing access to modern contraception.
“But we still need to continue providing young people with access to accurate, expert information on reproductive health and contraception. This is why we are partnering with the Commission on Population Development (CPD) and The FORUM to enable more young people to make their own informed decisions and choices,” said Evangelista.
For her part, FORUM president Corazon Raymundo echoed the statement of Bersales on the need to focus on the concerns of young people.
“We need to note that all adolescent pregnancies are high risk for complications and even dying,” said Raymundo.
“Young people are an essential component of a sustainable future. However, without the necessary knowledge and the accompanying tools and services their path towards a healthy and fulfilled life can be hindered. We believe that it is our collective responsibility to ensure that young people have the means to exercise their rights and contribute to society on their own terms,” she added.
Barriers
Family planning programs have made a tremendous difference globally, and many women are making informed choices about contraception.
Compared to a decade ago, we have 87 million more women and girls in low- to medium-income communities are using modern methods of contraception.
However, many of these women are still not choosing modern contraception due to numerous access barriers.
These range from lack of awareness and affordability to limitations based on age or marital status, while shame, stigma, fear, poverty, gender inequality and many other factors undermine women and girls’ ability to exercise choice and to seek and obtain contraceptives.
Persisting myths and misperceptions about modern contraception are also barriers to using contraceptives.
“Reducing the number of women who find themselves in this situation correlates with elevating economic growth, socio-economic development and promoting public health. It has therefore never been more important to enable women to make informed contraceptive choices, by providing more development opportunities and aid schemes that can foster access to contraception,” said Bersales.