Press Release
July 30, 2018

HONTIVEROS SPONSORS BILL TO ADDRESS GROWING NUMBER OF TEENAGE PREGNANCIES

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday delivered a sponsorship speech at the Senate, introducing a measure to develop a national program of action and an investment plan for the prevention of teenage pregnancy.

Senate Bill No.1482 or "The Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act" under Committee Report 400 mandates all provinces and chartered cities to organize and operationalize an Information and Service Delivery Network for Adolescent Health and Development (ISDN-AHD).

Hontiveros, who is the Chair of the Senate Commitee on Women said that among the services advanced by the measure are post-natal family planning and counseling, workshops on parenting as well as psycho-social and mental health support for teenage mothers. She said that the bill also reminds educational institutions and places of employment that suspension, expulsion, dismissal or denial of admission is prohibited against pregnant girls.

Hontiveros said that teenage pregnancy in the country has been a growing concern. Citing data from the Commission on Population (PopCom), the Senator said that the number of teenage pregnancy cases has increased from 1,700 in 2014 to 1,986 in 2015.

It was reported that the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said that teenage pregnancy remains a challenge in the Philippines despite the country's strong support for family planning.

"We want our children to be children and to actually have a childhood. It is our duty, not only as legislators, but also as parents, to equip them with the knowledge they need to navigate the new and seemingly vast terrain of puberty and reproductive health and to guide them as they grow into adulthood that is not jarred by expectations of parenthood," Hontiveros said.

News Latest News Feed