Summary
Highlights
The Philippines, dubbed 'the baby factory', experiences a high rate of teen pregnancy. Maymay, a 13-year-old living in a Manila slum with her 22-year-old boyfriend, became pregnant at 11 and suffered a miscarriage. Her story highlights the lack of choice and difficult circumstances many young girls face, with the legal age of consent being just 12.
In Palawan, where one in five teenagers is pregnant or already a mother, 15-year-old Terrell has a child with a man believed to be much older than her. She lacked knowledge about sex and contraception, and in the Philippines, girls under 18 need parental permission for contraception or HIV tests, while the age of consent is 12.
Angela, 23, has four children from two fathers. Her first sexual experience was at 14, and she experienced a miscarriage and repeated pregnancies due to fear of contraception side effects, influenced by common misinformation. Her story illustrates the cycle of poverty and dependence young mothers can face.
The Palawan vice governor, Dennis Socrates, a member of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei, vehemently opposes contraception and advocates for abstinence. He believes life is sacred, even for poor families, disagreeing with UN propositions on family planning. The strong influence of the Catholic Church prevents the implementation of a reproductive health law passed five years ago.
Abortion is illegal in the Philippines under all circumstances. Near the Black Nazarene Church in Manila, an 'abortion supermarket' operates, selling illegal remedies. An abortionist, fearing prosecution, describes performing over a thousand abortions, mostly on teenagers, using ulcer drugs and deep massage. Around half a million women resort to abortion annually, with about 100,000, many of them teenagers, ending up in hospitals due to complications.
Dr. Pernilio Asuncion, an obstetrician, views the high number of teenage pregnancies as a crisis, leading to the perpetuation of poverty. The Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila, one of the busiest, delivers 13,000 babies annually, over 2,000 to teenagers. Teenage mothers often experience complications like pre-term labor and require C-sections. Ali Ha, 15, and Jelena, 18, share their difficult experiences in the hospital.
With no comprehensive sex education, the Catholic Church's 'Live Pure' group promotes abstinence-only messages in schools. This approach, while emphasizing self-worth, fails to address the realities of teenage curiosity, leading many to social media and pornography for information, and often leaving them uninformed about contraception.
The NGO 'Roots of Health' in Palawan provides contraception and sex education to teenagers, addressing what they see as a vital gap. Terrell and Angela, both previously struggling with repeat pregnancies, have benefited from their services, choosing implants and IUDs respectively to prevent further pregnancies and focus on their children's future.
Despite the efforts of NGOs, the risk of unplanned pregnancies remains high for many young girls like Maymay, whose contraception injections have lapsed. The documentary concludes by highlighting that hundreds of thousands of young Filipinas' lives are jeopardized annually by these pregnancies.