Enhanced Sex Education Now or Sooner, But Not Later!

Enhanced Sex Education Now or Sooner, but Not Later!
According to Stanford University, Philippines is the only nation in Asia that boasts
its Christianity as a national religion with most of their population consisting of 80.9%
Roman Catholic with 2.8% Evangelical, 2.3% as Iglesia ni Cristo, 2% Aglipayan, 4.5%
other Christian groups, and approximately 5% Muslim groups. In this account, the
country is filled with conservative beliefs and they consider topics regarding sex and
sexuality as a sensitive concept such as teenage pregnancy and cases of Sexually
Transmitted Diseases (STD). For instance, the Church showed resistance against the
State during the passing of the Reproductive Health Bill into a law now known as The
Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (RH Law). This law
grants access to modern contraceptives, reproductive healthcare, sex education, etc. to
many Filipinos. Although the provisions of the RH Law sound promising, the
implementation of the critical sex education is yet to be developed by the Department of
Education (Geronimo, 2016). In fact, its inclusion within the online curriculum of targeted
places is still on-going according to Commission on Population and Development
(POPCOM) Executive Director Juan Antonio Perez III from an interview by the
Philippine Inquirer. As a result, the fact remains that Filipinos are in dire need of a
nationwide access to enhanced sex education to curb rising cases of teenage and
unplanned pregnancies, increasing number of patients with Sexually Transmitted
Diseases (STDs), and to improve reproductive health awareness that frees people from
poverty.
The current Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report disclosed controversial

and concerning information about the two adolescent mothers of age 10 from Metro
Manila and Southern Luzon according to ABS-CBN news. Additionally, a projection from
the University of The Philippines predicted a 2021 event entitled baby boom that
foresees hundreds of thousands of both adolescent and unplanned pregnancies due to
quarantine lockdown brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic (Drury, Johnson, &
Simonette, 2020). These reports and projections from credible government institutions
and universities signify rising cases of teenage and unplanned pregnancies that can
lead to overpopulation, high infant mortality rate, maternal risks, and high probabilities of
suffering from poverty. However, enhanced sex education that teaches enhanced
knowledge about reproductive health and values can empower couples and families to
plan their future and curb the rising cases of teenage and unplanned pregnancies in the
country without compromising their natural biological needs (United Nations Population
Fund, 2014).
The Philippines reported the fastest-growing HIV epidemic among the Asia-
Pacific region in 2017. Additionally, in August of 2018, it has been reported to the
HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP) that there is an addition of
roughly 1047 novel cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus or commonly known as
HIV (Vista, 2018). However, a comprehensive and properly planned Sex Education will
be able to teach people about reproductive health, anatomy, relationships, values, and
diseases (Barnett, 1997). If equipped with vital information and knowledge, people can
posses the capability to make intelligent and critical decisions that protect their health
and wellness. In a report entitled The National Campaign to End Teen and Unplanned
Pregnancy in 2007 by Douglas Kirby, he examined the effects of over 48 sexual health
education programs. The report shows that two-thirds of these programs had shown
positive effects including a tremendous 60% decrease in unprotected sex. These results
signify that proper sexual health education can curb increasing cases of Sexually
Transmitted Diseases (STD).
Moreover, the implementation of enhanced sex education provides students with

a background on reproductive health knowledge and wellness, risk behaviors and
opinions that can improve their awareness and free them from poverty. A UNFPA-
commissioned study held in 2016 showed results that adolescents in the Philippines
who experienced early pregnancy before the age of 18 are less likely to complete
secondary education in comparison to those who have not begun childbearing. Early
childbearing impacts the employment opportunities of said adolescents and the total
lifetime earnings of families. All laws, policies, and programs whose objectives are to
mitigate early pregnancies should not in any way, cause disadvantage, stigma, and
punishment for consensual sexual activity. The issues that hinder adolescent’s access
to reproductive health cause a lack of awareness of the services and information that
they need to ensure a healthy well-being and maintain the right behavior regarding their
sexual life. Comprehensive Sexual Education can effectively address the challenges by
providing the right foundation to young adults and plan their decisions more carefully.
However, hundreds of years may have passed since Christianity spread

throughout the country, the Church and their conservative beliefs will still argue that
comprehensive sex education promotes promiscuity. It is the practice of engaging in
sexual activity or relationships especially premarital intercourse that is against the core
values of the Catholic belief system. In contrast, significant evidence exist that show
positive effects, including enhancing the youth’s knowledge and improving their
perspectives and attitude towards the topic of sexual and reproductive health. For
instance, a sexual education program for students within 13 to 15 years old conducted
in a school from Tanzania reported a decrease in sexual initiation and an increase in
knowledge about Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (Barnett, 1997). A
properly executed sex education program would not unreservedly promote sexual
activities among adolescents. Instead, it provides critical knowledge and awareness
about values, decision-making, relationships, and reproductive health that ultimately
protects and improves their physical and mental wellness.
Hence, the Filipinos are in dire need of a nationwide access to enhanced sex
education to curb rising cases of teenage and unplanned pregnancies, increasing
number of patients with Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), and to improve
reproductive health awareness that frees people from poverty. This solution empowers
people to make critical decisions that affects the outcome of their future. The
government should fund and collaborate with parents, teachers, and specific
organizations to enlighten the youth on the significant aspects of life that they will
inevitably encounter in the future. It may take long to culminate a proper curriculum but
with the wholehearted cooperation of the society, anything is possible for a better and
brighter future of the country. This is the shout of the youth—enhanced sex education
now or sooner, but not later!
Signatory:
_________________
Pamela Mae Aliven
_________________
Jeff Rouzel Bat-og
_________________
Paul Anthony Vigo
_________________
Barbie Joy Villareal
REFERENCES:
ABS-CBN News. (2021, February 11). 10-year-old mothers recorded in Luzon, as gov’t
sounds alarm on girl pregnancies. ABS-CBN News. https://news.abs-
cbn.com/news/02/09/21/10-year-old-mothers-recorded-in-luzon-as-govt-sounds-
alarm-on-girl-pregnancies
Baclig, C. E. (2020, December 31). Sex education to be included in modules this school
year – POPCOM. INQUIRER.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1377720/sex-
education-to-be-included-in-modules-this-school-year-popcom
Barnett B. Education protects health, delays sex. Netw Res Triangle Park N C. 1997
Spring;17(3):14-5, 18-20. PMID: 12292388.
Center for Reproductive Rights. (2014, August 4). Philippine Supreme Court upholds
historic Reproductive Health Law | Center for Reproductive Rights [Press
release]. https://reproductiverights.org/press-room/Philippine-Supreme-Court-
Upholds-Historic-Reproductive-Health-Law#:%7E:text=The%20Responsible
%20Parenthood%20and%20Reproductive,communities%2C%20at
%20government%20health%20centers.
Department of Health-Epidemiology Bureau. (2018, August). HIV/AIDS & ART Registry
of the Philippines. Retrieved October 17, 2018 from https://
www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/statistics/EB_HIV_August_AIDSreg2018.pdf.
Drury, F., Johnson, H., & Simonette, V. (2020, December 23). Covid-19: The Philippines
and its lockdown baby boom. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-
55299912
Geronimo, J. Y. (2016, July 9). Sex education in PH schools still lacking – UNFPA.
Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/sex-education-philippines-unfpa
Kirby D. Emerging Answers 2007. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent
Teen Pregnancy, 2007.
La Bella,V. (2014,January 14). Incorporating Sexuality Education in the Public School
System: Perceptions from the Philippines.
https://educationanddevelopment.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/victoria-la-bella-
6103332-final-thesis-ids-jan-19-2014.pdf
Stanford School of Medicine. (2014, October 1). Religion.
https://geriatrics.stanford.edu/ethnomed/filipino/introduction/religion.html
UNAIDS. (2017). Country factsheets Philippines 2017: HIV and AIDS Estimates.
Retrieved October 18, 2018 from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/
countries/philippines.
United Nations Population Division. (n.d.) Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000
women ages 15-19). The World Bank.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.ADO.TFRT
United Nations Population Fund. (2020). Eliminating Teenage Pregnancies in the
Philippines. https://philippines.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-
pdf/UNFPA_Policy_Brief_Teenage_Pregnancy_%282020-01-24%29.pdf
United Press International. (1982, June 23). Study of Sex Education and Promiscuity.
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/23/garden/study-of-sex-education-and-
promiscuity.html
UNESCO. (2018,February 15). Why comprehensive sexuality education is important.
https://en.unesco.org/news/why-comprehensive-sexuality-education-important

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Enhanced Sex Education Now or Sooner, but Not Later!

The current Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report disclosed controversial

Moreover, the implementation of enhanced sex education provides students with

However, hundreds of years may have passed since Christianity spread

sounds alarm on girl pregnancies. ABS-CBN News. https://news.abs-

year – POPCOM. INQUIRER.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1377720/sex-

Spring;17(3):14-5, 18-20. PMID: 12292388.

historic Reproductive Health Law | Center for Reproductive Rights [Press

Department of Health-Epidemiology Bureau. (2018, August). HIV/AIDS & ART Registry

of the Philippines. Retrieved October 17, 2018 from https://

and its lockdown baby boom. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-

Kirby D. Emerging Answers 2007. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent

Teen Pregnancy, 2007.

La Bella,V. (2014,January 14). Incorporating Sexuality Education in the Public School

System: Perceptions from the Philippines.

Stanford School of Medicine. (2014, October 1). Religion.

Retrieved October 18, 2018 from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/

women ages 15-19). The World Bank.

UNESCO. (2018,February 15). Why comprehensive sexuality education is important.

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