Here’s a win for Filipino HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) advocates. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law that allows some minors to get tested for the virus without their parents’ consent.
Republic Act 11166 or the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018 was signed into law in late December but was only distributed to media this week, reports state.
The groundbreaking change can be found under Article IV, Section 29 which states that “[I]f the person is 15 to below 18 years of age, consent to voluntary HIV testing shall be obtained from the child without the need of consent from a parent or guardian.”
Those younger than 15 years old but are pregnant or engaged in “high-risk behavior” can also get tested without their parents’ approval.
This is a huge change from the previous HIV/AIDS law it repealed.
Under Republic Act 8504 or the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998, all minors must provide a written consent from a parent or legal guardian before being tested.
This update could help lower the number of HIV/AIDS incidences among Filipinos, a number that continues to rise. The Department of Health (DOH)’s records from 2017 show that there were 11,103 cases of HIV/AIDS in the country that year alone, the Philippine Star reported.
On the same year, the DOH cited a United Nations report saying that the Philippines had the fastest-growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Asia-Pacific in the past six years, Reuters reported.
This rise in HIV/AIDS cases has pushed the DOH to urge the Department of Education to establish proper sex education in schools. While sex education is mandated in the Reproductive Health Law, implementation in the still deeply-conservative Philippines has been lacking.
The new HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018 aims to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS by “eliminating the climate of stigma and discrimination.” It will even penalize those who discriminate against people with HIV/AIDS. The DOH was also tasked to provide free and accessible treatment for those with HIV/AIDS.
Senator Rissa Hontiveros, the principal author of the new HIV/AIDS law has highlighted how it could positively affect the lives of young Filipinos.
“[T]he measure provides young Filipinos with the correct information and healthy values that will protect them from the disease,” she said in a Facebook post yesterday.
https://www.facebook.com/hontiverosrisa/photos/a.10153527894430657/10161684768795657/?type=3&theater
“Many lives have been unnecessarily lost due to AIDS, including the lives of many young people. Today, we change the course of this rising epidemic and hopefully, help usher in an AIDS-free generation.”
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