“I fully support the President’s position to veto the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023 if it is not amended. In fact, I believe this bill should not even be passed in the first place.”
This was stressed by Manila 6th District Representative Benny Abante Jr., who said the divisive measure would impinge on the rights of Christian-based educational institutions.
According to Abante, “while we should recognize the need to address adolescent pregnancy, we must address it in such a way that it does not violate the rights of our people—especially the freedom of religion.”
“I am concerned that this bill could violate the religious freedom of faith-based educational institutions, such as Baptist schools and Catholic schools.”
“I am concerned that this bill could violate the religious freedom of faith-based educational institutions, such as Baptist schools and Catholic schools. These schools have their own moral and doctrinal teachings regarding human sexuality and reproductive health, and forcing them to introduce sex education and reproductive health programs that contradict their deeply held beliefs would be an infringement on their rights,” said the founder of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church and Ministries.
“There are better ways to tackle teenage pregnancy without forcing institutions to go against their faith-based principles.”
“We must also ask: What kind of values do we want to teach our children? Why must we be compelled to apply international standards, standards that may not be consistent with traditional Filipino family values? There are better ways to tackle teenage pregnancy without forcing institutions to go against their faith-based principles,” the veteran legislator added.
Under Section 6 of Senate Bill 1979, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) will be “implemented in all public and private basic education institutions. CSE delivery shall not be dependent upon the discretion of the school administration or on its teachers. It shall be integrated in the school curriculum, guided by DEPED and international standards.”
The same provision states that schools that refuse to include CSE in their curriculums will be subject to sanctions. Per Section 6, “in order to ensure proper compliance, the provision and delivery of CSE in public and private basic education institutions shall be listed as one of the criteria and an accreditation requirement of DEPED’s Philippine Accreditation System for Basic Education (PASBE). Schools refusing to implement CSE shall have their accreditation reviewed by the PASBE board.”
Abante said that any law related to teenage pregnancy “must respect the family as the primary institution of moral guidance, and it should ensure that faith-based communities are not coerced into complying with teachings that are in conflict their beliefs.”
