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
Thank you for sharing, Joy! I agree that this documentary highlights an issue which is a great and powerful example of what Kabeer discusses. Successful development is a process that requires a lot of nuance that can't be achieved if it is done with the broad ideas from relying on universal knowledge.
ReplyDeleteDear Joy,
ReplyDeleteTeenage Pregnancy is a problem in Uganda as well. The statistics reveal that the numbers are stagnating. Religion plays a big role in impeding contraceptive and sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) efforts in Uganda. Uganda is largely a Christian nation, and conversations around sex and reproduction are traditionally preserved for married couples as Christianity teaches that sex and reproduction should be handled in the context of marriage. However, the rise of organisations like UNFPA are pushing for SRHR to be embedded in school programs to reach teenage girls who are at risk of becoming pregnant. This is in line with the Women in Development Approach that tries to ensure women are included in development through education and health. By taking care of women’s reproductive needs, women/teenagers are then able to engage fully in economic work, which is the premise of the WID approach. Progress in addressing teenage pregnancies in sub-Saharan Africa needs to be made; otherwise, this will impact the economic growth and development of these countries.
Thank you for sharing the story of The Philippines’ Baby Factory. I can relate the content of this documentary and your reflection to my home country, Bangladesh. I would say Bangladesh and the Philippines share some sort of similarity regarding religious influence. According to you, “Over 80% of Filipinos are Catholic, and the Church exerts enormous influence over national policies, particularly family planning.” The scenario is almost the same in Bangladesh; the only difference is that over 80 percent of the population is Muslim.
ReplyDeleteI found the contradiction between the age of consent being 12 and the restrictions on access to contraception for anyone under 18 very illogical and frustrating. This legal inconsistency leaves young people unprotected; they are legally permitted to have sex, yet without the knowledge or resources to do so safely. Bangladeshi girls also face systemic obstacles to reproductive health and rights. I want to mention some statistics to support my argument:
• Child marriage remains widespread in Bangladesh. A study found that as many as 59 percent of adolescents in Bangladesh are becoming wives before their 18th birthday. In 2023, 8.2 percent of women were married before 15. Although the law in Bangladesh sets the legal age of marriage at 18 years for girls.
• Adolescent pregnancy is very high in Bangladesh. The country records about 74 births per 1,000 girls aged 15–19, with over a quarter of pregnancies occurring in this age group.
• Maternal mortality ratio is also very high for adolescents in Bangladesh. A report estimated that about 20 percent of the total maternal deaths in the country come from adolescent mothers.
These statistics show that just like in the Philippines, many girls in Bangladesh are at risk of early motherhood and a lifetime of health complications.
In both countries, conservatism—rooted in cultural, religious, and patriarchal norms—creates strong opposition to open conversations about sexuality. Despite Bangladesh’s commitments to gender equality, sex education remains a highly sensitive subject. Discussions of reproductive health are often considered “taboo.” “The absence of formal, age-appropriate sex education—along with a lack of values-based instructions—is leaving young people unprepared to understand their developing bodies, emotions, and moral responsibilities” (Prome & Saif Sondhi, 2025).
Religious and political actors play a strong role in opposing sexuality education in school curricula. Much like the Catholic Church in the Philippines, some conservative leaders in Bangladesh argue that providing young people with information on contraception or safe sex will “encourage immorality.” This framing has slowed national efforts to implement comprehensive sexuality education.
The result is that adolescent girls in Bangladesh—like Maymay and Teril in the Philippines—are often left uninformed and unprotected. They enter early marriages or sexual relationships without understanding the risks, leading to high rates of teenage pregnancy, health complications, and even maternal death.
Resources
Jahan, N. (2024, March 28). Alarming upswing in child marriage. The Daily Star. Retrieved from https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/alarming-upswing-child-marriage-3576476?utm
Prome, R. T., & Saif Sondhi, S. B. (2025, May 23). Sex education is our best defence against child abuse. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/sex-education-our-best-defence-against-child-abuse-3901481
Tajmim, T. (2020, January 11). Adolescent mothers 20 percent of maternal deaths. The Business Standard. Retrieved from https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/health/adolescent-mothers-20-percent-maternal-deaths-35617?utm
Tribune Report. (2023, April 30). Report: Bangladesh has highest rate of adolescent pregnancy in South Asia. Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved from https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2023/04/30/report-bangladesh-has-highest-rate-of-adolescent-pregnancy-in-south-asia