Teenage Pregnancy: Should It Be a National Priority?

Government officials have rung the alarm bells on teenage pregnancy.

The Commission on Population called on President Rodrigo Duterte to issue an executive order to declare teenage pregnancy a “national priority” this year. Legislators have filed bills to implement a comprehensive sexuality education for young people and social protection and maternal health programs for teenage mothers. These bills also intend to provide free reproductive health supplies to curb teenage pregnancy.

But should teenage pregnancy be a "national priority through a whole-of-nation approach"?

The Philippine Center for Population and Development (PCPD) and the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) will shed light on this issue in an upcoming webinar, “Teenage Pregnancy: Should It Be a “National Priority”?

The webinar will be on May 14, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, and is open to the public.

“The aim of the webinar is to contribute to the present discourse on teenage pregnancy,” explains Dr. Marilen Dañguilan, executive director of PCPD. “We want to establish the importance of policymaking based on evidence and solid research and identify specific measures to respond to the problem.”

UPPI professors Maria Paz Marquez and Elma Laguna will discuss the results of various national surveys as well as vital data from a qualitative study involving teenage mothers. They will present current empirical data collected and processed through rigorous research.

PCPD’s Dañguilan will moderate the forum.

You can register for the webinar at https://bit.ly/PHTeenagePregnancy.