PREGNANT minors could soon get specialized medical care and safer shelters under a bill seeking to establish “Teen Mom Clinics” in all public hospitals nationwide.
Quezon City 5th District Rep. PM Vargas filed House Bill No. 3988, or the proposed Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Act, to address the rising number of teenage pregnancies and protect young mothers from abuse, discrimination and repeat pregnancies.
Under the bill, the Department of Health (DOH) would be required to set up Teen Mom Clinics providing prenatal, childbirth-related and postnatal care, including counseling aimed at preventing repeat pregnancies.
The measure also orders the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to upgrade its shelters for disadvantaged women and equip them with specialized teams, including social workers, obstetrician-gynecologists, midwives or nurses, and psychologists trained to handle pregnant minors.
Vargas said young mothers—especially those who became pregnant through sexual abuse—must receive immediate legal, medical and psychological assistance instead of judgment.
The lawmaker cited government data showing a 35-percent surge in live births among girls aged 10 to 14, from 2,320 in 2021 to 3,135 in 2022.
Civil registration records also showed that more than 130,000 of 180,000 births to minor mothers were fathered by adult men, raising serious concerns over statutory rape, incest and sexual exploitation.
The bill proposes the creation of a Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Council, led by the DOH and POPCOM, to coordinate efforts involving the DSWD, DepEd, NYC, DILG, CHED and TESDA.
It also calls for Teen Centers in every municipality, automatic PhilHealth coverage for indigent teenage mothers, reproductive health education in schools, and skills training through TESDA.
Pregnant students and young workers would likewise be protected from school expulsion or workplace termination because of pregnancy.
“When we provide specialized healthcare and safe shelters, we protect young mothers from trauma and give them a fighting chance at a better life,” Vargas said.
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