[OP-ED]
Oct 25, 2020
Sex education is a woman’s right.
Growing up as a woman in the Philippines, I thought it was normal to feel guilt over my own body and its natural processes. Subjects like reproductive health and sex education has always baffled me. Maybe, it was because if I did show any sort of interest in those things, I would be labelled as a “slut” or a “whore"–– even if that were far from the truth. I think, in a way, I was always scared of myself, my gender, and my own body. From a young age, Filipino women learn that virginity and purity is a virtue. Anything other is subject to vilification. I, like many others, felt alienated from my femininity. As a result, our bodies remain endless mysteries to us, to which, for some cruel reason, pleasures society.Â
We follow the conditions society sets for us. However, we are criticized once again for the state of ignorance we live in. No matter what women do, we are trapped in an endless cycle of shame and fear—making it impossible for us to own agency over our bodies.
I believe that discrimination and the othering of the woman and her sexuality begins at an early age, hence, sex education must standardized in all schools’ curriculums through out the country. Access to sex education is essential to the liberation of the woman.
“The fact is, the concepts of sex and gender have always been taught in schools. Indeed it is often in school and within the context of formal education that the basics of gender stereotyping and sex discrimination are introduced, reinforced and in turn naturalized among young people,” Carolina Austria says in her paper, “Say It Isn't Sex: The Politics of Sex Education in the Philippines.” People are not born sexist, they learn it from an early age through our education system. This system is incredibly gendered as it teaches women where their place is in society, what jobs they can have, when to marry, and what is expected of them.
This may seem surprising to some readers. However, it must be addressed that there are some misconceptions on the topic. Sex education does not teach people how to have sex, there are many other facets to it. Some, among many, is that it teaches about gender equality, self-respect, and women’s rights. It can even teach women how to say no to unwanted advances, recognize harassment, and how to foster good relationships. It also provides a safe space for women to explore their sexuality and gender orientation.Â
Sex education does not advocate promiscuous behavior either. In fact, no study has proven this to be true. Sex education neither lowers the starting age of sex. According to a study done at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and at the Medical University of South Carolina, sex education actually delays sexual initiation. It was found that teenagers who are part of a comprehensive sex education program are are less sexually active and an increased use of contraception.Â
Speaking of safe sex, knowledge of contraception methods grants women the choice of when to start families as opposed to starting them accidentally. UNESCO reports that sex education empowers people by making them aware of their rights and responsible for their health and future.
In a study done by the Guttmacher Institute, they revealed that in 2008, 54% of all Philippine pregnancies were unplanned— 90% of which used ineffective contraception. But if they had access to modern methods, unplanned births would decline by 800,000 per year.
Countries with standardized sex education has also experienced the benefit of a decreased teen pregnancy rate. Advocates for Youth reports that after introducing a comprehensive sex education program in 1991, the U.S. experienced a huge decrease in teen pregnancies a decade later, from 62 to 41 births per 1,000 female teens. The Society for Adolescent Medicine later declared abstinence as a form of birth control as a threat to the human rights to health and information. Meanwhile, in a more local perspective, according to chief Juan Antonio Perez II from the The Commission on Population and Development, the lack of comprehensive sex education puts more than 60, 000 young girls (ages 18 and below) in risk of teenage pregnancy each year.Â
Nevertheless, some argue that sex education is the responsibility of the parent and not the school. However, I disagree. Sex education is not a simple a lesson anybody could teach. Subject matters like reproductive and sexual health may need the expertise of a teacher and even a licensed medical professional (considering that most topics fall under the subjects of science and health). But more importantly, according to Save the Children Philippines, 85% of Filipino mothers are not equipped to teach their child about reproductive health or sex education. Hence, it would be odd to rely on parents to teach their children these subject matters when they themselves are not informed.Â
Sex education has numerous benefits. It informs women not only of their sexual health, but allows them to confidently navigate through a very important facet of their life. Thus, it must be accessible to all Filipino women. To deny girls this information only forces them into shame and ignorance. It is time for women to own their sexuality and femininity. Not only for their futures but also for their health. We must remove the stigma and misconceptions surrounding these subjects as it is only through this manner, women can say they own their bodies, their futures, and their lives.Â
- Bianca Ferro
