Present anti-teen pregnancy bill ‘headed for graveyard’ 鈥� solon
FILE PHOTO: The anti-teen pregnancy bill – in its current version – can now be considered dead as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s rejection of it signifies its doom, according to Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. — INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines — The proposed law for teenage pregnancy prevention – in its current version – could now be considered dead as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s rejection of it signifies its doom.
Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez believes so as he praised Marcos for speaking against Senate Bill (SB) No. 1979 or the proposed Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023, noting that the measure is “headed for the graveyard” if the bill’s contents are not amended.
“We laud the President for committing to reject this bill as approved by the House of Representatives and as presently being discussed in the Senate. His statement speaks volumes of his moral values,” Rodriguez said in a statement Tuesday.
“If the bill’s objectionable provisions are not removed, this measure is headed for the graveyard. It is DOA (dead on arrival) at the Palace,” he added.
READ: Marcos vows to veto teen pregnancy prevention bill if not amended
According to Rodriguez, Marcos’ statement is an assurance that the House of Representatives and Senate would “no longer waste precious taxpayers’ money, time, and effort on the bill as presently worded.”
“The two chambers should rewrite it to delete provisions which violate the constitutional natural and primary right of parents to rear and educate their children and offensive to the sense of morality of parents, teachers, children, and the general public,” he said.
“The final copy should be acceptable to them and the President, who has to sign it for it to become a law,” he added.
Rodriguez recently filed a resolution urging the House to recall the approval of the bill, which was passed on final reading last September 5, 2023. The lawmaker said the Senate version is “deceptive” and violates several provisions of the 1987vConstitution and Family Code.
“Many provisions of the bill aim to institutionalize Comprehensive Adolescent Sexuality Education (CASE), which is a different and separate subject matter from adolescent pregnancy. This is violative of Article IV, Section 26, Paragraph (1) of the Constitution,” he claimed.
“It has been alleged that CASE will result in undermining parental authority, early sexualization, promoting risky behaviors, contradicting constitutional values, failing to establish abstinence, introducing age-inappropriate content, and promotion of homosexuality/bisexuality,” he added.
READ: Hontiveros refutes critics of prevention of adolescent pregnancy bill
The spotlight was on SB No. 1979 recently as concerns were raised regarding the comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) program, which is part of the Senate and House versions of the anti-adolescent pregnancy bill.
Several groups asserted that the CSE aims to discuss sexual concepts with very young children, who are yet to grasp such issues properly.
The National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution’s Project Dalisay has submitted an online petition seeking to junk SB No. 1979, claiming that the proposed legislation endangers the societal, moral, and spiritual foundations of the country.
The groups’ concerns appear to stem from the bill’s Section 6, which makes CSE a “compulsory part of education, integrated at all levels with the end goal of normalizing discussions about adolescent sexuality and reproductive health and to remove stigma at all levels.”
But Senator Risa Hontiveros, an author of the bill, claimed that criticisms toward the bill are mere fabrications and lies, stressing that the proposed measure does not contain any provision seeking to encourage masturbation to children aged 0 to 4 or teach bodily pleasure to children aged 6 to 9.
Marcos initially supported the bill, saying that Filipinos need to understand how detrimental teenage pregnancies are to health and society, as a whole. But on Monday, January 20, he expressed shock over alleged details in the bill.
Hontiveros, however, assured Marcos that there are no risky provisions in the proposed anti-teen pregnancy bill.
