Media blamed for teenage pregnancy
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Courtesy: Sun Star Manila
MASS media has been contributory factor to the increasing cases of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines, a clergyman said Friday.
Marinduque Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista cited the wide reach of mass media as the foremost reason why teenagers are exposed early to sex.
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"The media have strong influence on the people, especially on the youth," said Evangelista over church-run Radio Veritas.
Another factor, he said, is the growing influence of Internet access in computers, where regulation is almost nil, as another easy way for adolescents to find sex-related materials.
A report released by the World Bank titled "Equality for Women; Where do We Stand on Millennium Development Goal 3?" indicated that the Philippines is among the 10 countries, which recorded increasing incidents of teenage pregnancies.
Besides the Philippines, other nations with high teenage motherhood cases are Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Peru, and Zimbabwe.
The report came amid an intense debate over the impending passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill that upholds the use of artificial contraceptives and instigation of sex education.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has been strongly opposing the passage of RH bill or House Bill 5043, saying only natural family planning method should be promoted.
According to Evangelista, teenage pregnancy cannot be simply resolved by making contraceptives available or by educating the youth.
"This is not only about sex education, but a formation of conscience... what is right and wrong," he said. (MSN/Sunnex)
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