Contraceptive use taught in Grade 8 amid rise in teen pregnancies: DepEd
The use of contraceptives is included in the curriculum for Grade 8 students, the Department of Education revealed during the House Appropriations Committee's hearing on the agency's proposed 2027 budget.
This comes after lawmakers, on Sept. 7, raised concerns over rising teen pregnancies and HIV cases among the youth. Akbayan partylist Rep. Percival Cendaña asked Education Secretary Sonny Angara about the inclusion of reproductive health in the curriculum.
“That is a requirement of the Reproductive Health Law (RA 10354),” Angara said.
“When it comes to body parts, that’s taught very early. I think stage one or two. But the actual use of contraceptives is taught at eighth grade," he continued, adding that responsible reproductive health is one of the things that "need to be imparted to our young people."
Lawmakers have also been pushing for measures addressing teen pregnancies.
Quezon City 5th District Rep. Patrick Michael “PM” Vargas has filed House Bill 3988, or the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Act, in which he cited official data showing a 35% increase in live births among girls aged 10 to 14—from 2,320 in 2021 to 3,135 in 2022.
Vargas said civil registration records also showed that more than 130,000 of 180,000 births to minor mothers were fathered by adult men, pointing to cases of statutory rape, incest, and sexual exploitation.
“It should not be enough for us to say that we should put a stop to these adolescent pregnancies nationwide,” Vargas said. “There must also be a facility where we can be able to protect the welfare of these pregnant minors.”
Under HB 3988, the Department of Health would establish specialized “Teen Mom Clinics” in public hospitals to provide prenatal, antenatal, and postnatal care, as well as postpartum counseling to help prevent repeat teenage pregnancies.
The bill also proposes expanding government shelters for disadvantaged women and equipping them with teams that include social workers, health professionals, and psychologists trained to support pregnant minors.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority in February stated that there are 138,697 mothers aged 10 to 19 in the Philippines. (with reports from Delon Porcalla)