Rising Teen Pregnancies in Philippines Spark Debate Over Comprehensive Sex Education and Adolescent Health Risks

In the densely populated informal settlement of Baseco, situated on the outskirts of Manila Bay, reside over 64,000 individuals, many of whom live in makeshift homes vulnerable to flooding. Among these residents is 14-year-old Clara, who at six months pregnant, dons an oversized black T-shirt and dreams of a son reminiscent of her older brother.

Clara’s pregnancy occurred during her early adolescence, a trend that has sparked heated debates among lawmakers, health experts, and religious groups regarding the future of sex education in this deeply Catholic nation. In conversations with CNN, numerous Filipino girls and young women aged 14 to 23, including mothers, shared stories of either receiving insufficient or no sex education at school, with vital topics such as consent and contraceptives left unaddressed.

Sam, a 23-year-old woman, recalls learning about contraceptives in her eighth-grade class, but with an explicit warning against their use. Dr. Aileen Marie Rubio of the Dr Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila reports that most teens possess limited knowledge concerning reproductive health, consent, and what constitutes abuse. Rubio’s work primarily focuses on supporting adolescent mothers at the hospital’s specialized clinic.

Clara met her boyfriend through mutual friends and became pregnant just six months into their relationship. Despite being due to give birth in three months, she has yet to attend any antenatal checkups and remains largely uninformed about the health of her baby. “I have no money yet… to go to hospital,” Clara tells CNN.

Experts emphasize that mothers as young as Clara face higher health risks during pregnancy and labor, as do their babies. In the Philippines, teen pregnancies rank among Asia’s highest. Though there has been a slight decline in pregnancies among 15-19-year-olds between 2019 and 2023, there is growing concern over an increase in early adolescent pregnancies—specifically among girls aged 14 and younger—which rose by 38% from 2,411 cases in 2019 to 3,343 in 2023.

Government bodies have long designated teen pregnancies a “national social emergency,” and in 2022 lawmakers introduced the first draft of an Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill aimed at addressing this issue. Three years on, the bill continues to navigate the legal process after multiple amendments, most recently a refile last month following significant opposition from conservative organizations and religious groups.

The proposed legislation aims to standardize comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in schools and enhance access to sexual health services. Current regulations require teens under 18 to secure parental consent for contraceptives, with certain exceptions. “Whether we like it or not, according to the data, there are adolescents who are sexually active now,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros, principal author of the bill, stated earlier this year. She added that the bill is essential to empowering adolescents in protecting themselves.

However, an earlier version of the bill faced intense opposition from church groups across the deeply Catholic nation. The Catholic Church advocates for intercourse only within marriage and encourages abstinence for unmarried individuals, while also opposing artificial contraception but permitting natural methods of avoiding pregnancy within marriage. Abortion remains illegal in all circumstances in the Philippines, including instances of rape or incest.

This opposition culminated in a coordinated effort by a coalition of at least eight evangelical and Catholic organizations across the country, collectively known as Project Dalisay (or Project Pure). Founded as an initiative by the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution, Project Dalisay perceives the bill as a threat to its ideologies on sex and parental authority. Their main point of contention revolves around CSE.

Maria Lourdes Sereno, Project Dalisay’s convenor and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the Philippines, informs CNN that CSE “intends to normalize sexual discussion, which is not part of Filipino culture.” The initiative serves as a voluntary group of faith believers, predominantly from the evangelical and Catholic communities, who object primarily to the Senate Bill.

In early January, Project Dalisay launched a website hosting a petition against the bill and an explanatory video titled “Unmasking the Perils of CSE.” The site referenced 15 alleged harmful effects of CSE derived from resources by the US-based anti-abortion organization Family Watch International (FWI). Among these consequences were eroticizing condom use and promoting “gender confusion.”

FWI told CNN that its investigation into CSE programs across multiple continents found them to be “age inappropriate, scientifically and medically inaccurate…and ineffective in preventing teen pregnancy.”

Another US anti-abortion group, Human Life International (HLI)—whose country head in the Philippines, Dr. Rene Bullecer, has publicly supported Project Dalisay—also denounced the bill, stating that it posed “a significant threat to the societal, moral, and spiritual foundations of the Philippines.” HLI’s President, Father Shenan J. Boquet, added that parents “have the most direct responsibility for their children,” and the State should support rather than usurp them.

Project Dalisay’s Sereno asserts that her organization draws inspiration from US groups but denies any financial ties. “We look for information, the technical information, the science from the US,” she says. The anti-CSE content formed the basis of what critics deemed a misleading campaign, with Project Dalisay claiming that the bill’s implementation of CSE as guided by international standards would include inappropriate concepts—an assertion refuted by Sen. Hontiveros.

Members of Project Dalisay participated in public hearings where the bill was debated in an attempt to sway opinions. By the end of January, several senators who previously backed the bill withdrew their support, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., once a public supporter of the bill, pledged to veto it in its current form.

The case of 14-year-old Jude, now supported by the Family Planning Organisation of the Philippines (FPOP), highlights the need for improved sexual and reproductive health services. FPOP is working to bridge this gap by delivering resources to underserved communities. In underprivileged areas of Malabon, a city near Manila, Likhaan’s team of young volunteers educates youth about gender and relationships, approaches parents with pamphlets on discussing sex, targets basketball courts to distribute safe-sex kits containing condoms, and provides family planning measures for pregnant adolescents like Jude.

Pregnancy in girls below the age of 16 is three times riskier than in older women, explains Dr. Junice Melgar, Executive Director at Likhaan. Young girls are often physically and mentally unprepared to carry babies and may not seek medical attention if they become pregnant, particularly when faced with stigma that discourages them from doing so.

According to the World Health Organization, child and adolescent mothers face higher risks of eclampsia (seizures), postpartum endometritis (inflamed lining of their uterus due to infection after birth), and systemic infections than women aged 20-24. Babies born to adolescent mothers also encounter increased risks of low birth weight, preterm birth, and severe neonatal conditions.

NGOs such as Likhaan strive to address these issues by delivering sexual and reproductive health services to communities in need.