Misinformation has long been a formidable enemy of progress especially in public health. In the case of the Senate Bill 1979 or the adolescent pregnancy prevention act, it is not ignorance alone that sustains the crisis to pass the bill, but the willful distortion of facts, the weaponization of fear, and the resistance to education in the name of morality.
Adolescent pregnancy is not merely a personal issue, it is a national one. According to the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), over 500 Filipino girls aged 10 to 19 give birth each day. These are young girls who, more often than not, are left without support, education, or access to the very systems designed to protect them. To continue brushing this issue aside is to normalize a cycle of poverty, dependence, and disempowerment.
Yet, instead of rallying behind a bill that seeks to break this cycle through education and prevention, some sectors cry foul, branding it as an attack on traditional values. This is where misinformation strikes hardest. Senate Bill 1979 does not promote promiscuity however it promotes protection. It does not rob the youth of innocence but it arms them with knowledge. Comprehensive sexuality education, access to reproductive health services, and responsible parenting initiatives.
Moreso, the opposition often hides behind the claim of preserving morality. But what morality is preserved when a teenager is forced to drop out of school due to an unplanned pregnancy? What values are upheld when a girl becomes a mother before she becomes a legal adult, all because she was never taught how to protect herself? Ignorance is not innocence. In fact, it is precisely what predators, poverty, and broken systems rely on to thrive.
As a society, we are at a crossroads. We can choose to face the uncomfortable truths with courage and compassion, or we can remain in the shadows of tradition, letting myths and shame dictate our policies. But if we do not educate ourselves or if we do not act now, then we risk condemning future generations to pray for a crisis we had the power to prevent.
