The Philippines' Baby Factory, a documentary by Mary Ann Jolley, is
one of the most impressive and moving films I watched this summer. It made me
reflect on the challenges women face, how religion and the state can obstruct
change, and the need for appropriate approaches to address these issues.
The documentary opens with a striking fact: “In
the Philippines' biggest maternity hospital, a baby is born every few minutes.
Often, the new mothers are just children themselves, some as young as 13. With
the legal age of consent at 12, teen pregnancy is on the rise.”
The film then takes us to the outskirts of
Manila, where we meet 13-year-old Maymay, playing a jumping game with her
friends. She became pregnant at 11 by her 20-year-old boyfriend, but she only
realized she was pregnant when she was seven months along. She recalls:
"I didn't know I was pregnant. I was
even playing Chinese garter. When I was jumping, I felt something in my
stomach. Then I suffered a miscarriage."
About her sexual experience, she adds, "It
hurt. It was painful. I was just forced to do it."
The documentary then moves to Palawan, which
has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in the country. One in five
teenagers is either pregnant or already has a child, mostly in very poor
communities. Teril, a 15-year-old mother, had little knowledge about sex when
she met her child’s father shortly after turning 14. She had no guidance from
her mother on contraception.
In the Philippines, girls under 18 need
parental permission for contraception or HIV tests, yet the age of consent is
just 12—one of the lowest in the world. On the other side of town, 23-year-old
Angela has four children by two fathers. Her first sexual experience was at 14.
She reflects: "It's better to be
educated about what contraceptives are available and what sex is about. That's
better than being ignorant."
The
Impact of Religion and Government
An NGO staff member explains, “The government doesn’t spend much on teen
pregnancy prevention. Funding for contraception is minimal or non-existent.”
Why? Over 80% of Filipinos are Catholic, and the Church exerts enormous
influence over national policies, particularly family planning. Though a
reproductive health law was passed five years ago guaranteeing sex education
and free contraception, strong lobbying from the Catholic Church and other
pro-life groups has delayed its implementation.
Teen
Pregnancy and Its Consequences
Abortion is illegal in all circumstances in
the Philippines, even in cases of rape. Desperate women sometimes turn to
unsafe, illegal procedures. One practitioner claimed to have performed over a
thousand abortions, mostly on teenagers about five months pregnant, using
dangerous methods. Each year, more than half a million women seek abortions;
roughly 100,000, nearly half teenagers, end up hospitalized, and many die.
Teenage pregnancies themselves carry
significant health risks, including preterm labor, hypertension, and
hemorrhage. Young mothers often drop out of school and are unable to secure
decent jobs, perpetuating the cycle of poverty.
Solutions
and Local Efforts
Sex education is scarce, and abstinence is
often promoted by church organizations. In interviews, some students refuse
contraceptives for religious reasons, while others recognize their necessity.
In Palawan, the NGO Roots of Health advocates for contraceptives and sex
education, providing free IUDs and contraceptives to young people. While this
protects some girls like Teril and Angela, millions of others across the
Philippines remain vulnerable to early motherhood.
Conclusion
Teen pregnancy in the Philippines highlights
the complexity of implementing policies to protect women. It also illustrates
the importance of recognizing and valuing local knowledge in development, as
Kabeer emphasizes in Reversed Realities
(p. 80), rather than relying solely on universal knowledge.
You can watch the documentary here:
https://youtu.be/8ipzwxXjAcA?si=YhsKy37ph0jm70fg
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