Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012

The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, also known as the Reproductive Health Law and officially designated as Republic Act No. 10354, is a Philippine law that provides universal access to methods of contraception, fertility control, sexual education and maternal care. Better known as the RH Law, and if one may recall, it took the Philippines 14 years to turn the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 into law.

The RH Law provides universal and free access to modern contraceptive methods, mandates age- and development-appropriate reproductive health education in government schools and recognizes a woman’s right to post-abortion care in the Philippines as part of the right to reproductive health care. Since then, many lessons have been learned and, championed or not, there is still so much to understand about the law.

Considering most recently, there has been a heightened debate on the Comprehensive Sexual Education program, it seems more and more people are beginning to realize that the issue at hand may be a matter of deeper concern. Perhaps many of us would say that we are not familiar with the implementing rules and regulations set by the law nor how much budget is available. What I know for sure is, like all laws, it’s what happens next that makes it significant, since all laws should in effect work for the good of the people.

When we speak of implementation, we must understand that consistent funding for such programs is crucial. Speaking of funding, how the money is spent is also important as this provides the needed support in terms of evidences on how well the funding is spent, which should focus on services rather than administrative costs (not that it’s not important). In other words, budgets must be spent on people.

When it comes to reproductive health education, based on Republic Act 10354, reproductive health and sexuality education refers to a lifelong learning process of providing and acquiring complete, accurate and relevant age- and development-appropriate information and education on reproductive health and sexuality through life skills education and other approaches.

Having said all this, there has been so much debate about how children are now going to learn about their own sexuality – sexual health – or reproductive health, considering the growing awareness on the recent Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) program. Parents, among other groups, continue to ask about the proper approach due to the rising cases of teenage pregnancy.

Congressman Roman Romulo continues to assert that CSE is a term that has not been defined under Philippine law and that the Department of Education only has to use the defined term being reproductive health education, especially since the RH Law of 2012 says that reproductive health includes all matters pertaining to the reproductive system. In addition to all this, Congressman Romulo also says that it must comply with Section 14 of the said law that sets the rules for age- and development-appropriate reproductive health education.

The other law that may also be used, per Representative Romulo, is the GMRC Law. The Reproductive Health Law is not comprehensive sexuality education and thanks to our current Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, such concerns are up for review, something that Congressman Romulo is relieved to know.

In conclusion, many parents continue to show concern with regard to sexual education for children. It is also my opinion that, especially at a very young age, such matters must be taken up or rather, discussed at home, primarily by parents who are the very first educators of their children in the first place.

This is why early childhood education must be considered as a critical component of education for children, especially in the young stages of development and I agree with Congressman Romulo when he stresses the fact that particularly when it comes to sexual education, parents must be at the forefront and that teachers should be adequately trained and fully prepared to handle such matters as prudently and with care for all learners, who should be considered vulnerable to such sensitive topics.