Experts: bringing sex education to

homes can curb ‘teen pregnancy’

CORTES, Bohol, Sept 16 (PIA)—The numbers may be improving, but with an estimated P33 billion in economic opportunities lost to teen-age pregnancy, government health authorities press parents to step up and help spread the word and educate children in the homes, about responsible relationships and leading to sex, which is still among the country’s top concerns.

The call resounded from population advocates at the Provincial Health Office: Josian Pepita, Myra Leonora Salvaleon and Leonidas Saniel, who came to the weekly Kapihan sa PIA to bring out the issue on sex education, which is still considered by many as a taboo, to the homes instead of delegating the task to teachers who could be also be accused of teaching immorality.

Based on statistics available at the Philippine Statistics Authority, from 2020 to 2023, there is a noted slight decrease in numbers, but this could also be an aberration caused by the online classes which has somehow, limited the physical interaction that could most possibly lead to contacts with both sexes.

In 2023, PSA recorded 1819 ten to 19 years old getting pregnant, a figure that went down to 1402 in 2021 and the soared again to 1701 in 2022, cites Pepito.

In 2023, from January to July, the PHO has recorded 714 reported cases of teen-age pregnancy already.

The figure is again possibly muddled by the culture of Boholanos who would rather keep incidents of unplanned pregnancy to families, not reporting them.

All the records are based on the cases of prenatal services availed by these young teens, where a considerable number would come from the areas where parental guidance was wanting.

On the other hand, Salvaleon pointed out the multi-factors that cause teen-pregnancy can be caused by parents’ absence in the formation of their children that is now showing its results.

While parents are absent to seek greener pastures, they leave their children without anyone the kids can be comfortable to talk to, to guide them through the teen-age crisis, Saniel remarked.

This also most often results to unregulated access to mass media and cellphones with unlimited connectivity.

While absentee parents feel they can compensate their absence with gadgets to make video calls easy, has also made it easy for young high school students to view sex scandals out of curiousity.

When they can not get the answers they need about their fast changing physique from their parents, Pepito, pointed out that severe lack of sex education from the home is getting its toll.

There is a lack of knowledge, and teens are trying to get the answers with disastrous effects.

While there is a move by health experts to bring down sex education to the homes wo people do not feel awkward, a similar move is bring brought by the population management advocates to the schools, but through their parents organizations.

Salvaleon said they are also focused on the senior high schools and orient them about risky behaviors, acts that can make them pregnant and harp on “true love waits,” and messages on abstinence.

But when it is always their decisions that persist in the end, then we have to make sure that they can access the right useful information.

We do preventing pregnancy campaigns during parents and teachers meetings, we do lectures while mounting billboards in schools, with key messages in preventing pregnancy, Salvaleon said.

Beyond that, the Department of Health still continues to organize and train teen counselors with a program on training young leaders in one barangay in each town to talk about adolescent health, Pepito added.

And then, there is this setting up of adolescent friendly health facilities in rural health units and hospitals, where there are also available commodities that teens can use, with the consent of their parents.

Teens with risky behaviors or those whose pregnancy can be risky to their health, can avail of these services, as long as they can present parent’s or guardian’s consent.

Any teenager who needs questions answered can go to their health workers, these people are trained and capacitated health workers who could be trusted with confidentiality issues.

Overall however, they believe that if parents could engage their children productively into topics on sex education, it becomes less awkward for them, and could be game changer. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

ABSTINENCE PLUS INFORMED DECISIONS. Health experts, while advocating for bringing sex education in the home could elevate the consciousness on early pregnancy and possibly solve the issue, but then with the religious implications of teaching it in schools, Bohol PHO said they had to press on the pillars of family planning like responsible parenthood, informed choice, birth spacing and respect for life, agree Josiane Pepito, Myra Leonor Salvaleon and Leonidas Saniel, nurses and population control experts. (PIAbohol)