Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Knowledge of Sexual and Reproductive Rights among Students

A Research
Presented to
The Faculty of
School of Humanities
Saint Louis University, Baguio City

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements in the degree

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

By

Alan Kirsten O.Callejo

December 2017
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Abstract

Reproductive and sexual health rights are rights of all people regardless of age, gender
and other characteristics. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights acknowledges the
definition of sexual and reproductive rights of an individual. The majority of the youth have very
little to none knowledge on what sexual rights they are entitled to. Sometimes, they do not even
appreciate the extent of their violations and worse still they do not know where they could go, for
legal or social advice. Through structured interviews conducted on students at Saint Louis
University, the researcher have found out that majority of the students, despite being raised in a
conservative family and studying in a Catholic school are aware and are empowered in their
sexual right and reproductive right. Although there are still stigma on buying contraceptives and
abortion the students’ perception and knowledge is enough for them to protect themselves
against unwanted reproductive consequences. Using the Rational Choice theory in analyzing the
answers of the students, it explains the perception and attitude of the students towards their
sexual and reproductive freedom.

keywords: reproductive rights, sexual rights, students

Introduction

Sprecher, Hatfield, Cortese, Potapova, & Levistkaya (1994) studied the sexual
miscommunication among college students in three different countries (America, Russia, Japan).
There were two types of sexual miscommunication they were studying; token resistance to sex,
which is to resistance to sexual intercourse with the intent of having one; and the consent to
unwanted sexual intercourse, which is completely opposite of token resistance to sex. They
found out that men also engage in to token sex despite the notion of women only engaging in it.
But the rates for consent to unwanted sexual intercourse vary on gender and culture.

Feltey, Ainslie, & Geib (1991) documented the influence of gender as a significant
determinant toward rape and sexual aggression, with males being more likely to accept “rape
myths” and support sexually coercive behavior than are females. Their finding was the students
were using their own experiences, the most significant contributor explaining this attitudes was
unwilling sexual experience. When they had been victims of pressure to sexually preform (either
by a date or peer expectations), they were more likely to support coercion.

Hines (2007) studied the predictors of sexual coercion against women and men. Results
showed that the relative status of women at each site predicted significant differences in levels of
sexual victimization for men, in that the greater the status of women, the higher the level of
forced sex against men. In addition, differences in adversarial sexual beliefs across sites
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

significantly predicted both forced and verbal sexual coercion for both genders, such that greater
levels of hostility towards women at a site predicted higher levels of forced and verbal coercion
against women and greater levels of hostility towards men at a site predicted higher levels of
forced and verbal coercion against men. Finally, sexual revictimization occurred for both genders
and across all sites, suggesting that sexual revictimization is a cross-gender, cross-cultural
phenomenon.

Littleton (2014) evaluated the sex syllabi in British schools and found out that the
knowledge of teenagers acquired in school “whilst” correct is not being applied in socio-cultural
aspect of life. The author proposed a curriculum reform to ensure an appropriate public health
message about different concerns

Kontula (2010) showed the evolution of the curriculum of sex education in Finland. His
findings were amazing. Among boys, sex education had a much more important role in relation
to their sexual knowledge than among girls. For girls, performing well in school was a more
important predictor of a higher level of sexual knowledge than the number of hours allocated to
sex education in school. The level of students' sexual knowledge was promoted positively by
teachers who wanted to teach attitudes of naturalness and tolerance toward sexuality, found
sexual issues easy to talk about, told students of their own personal life, and used classroom
techniques including drama and role-play methods and presentations, and lectures given by
students themselves. In sum, Finland represents an advanced model of comprehensive sex
education in Europe.

Reproductive Health is characterized by the state of physical, mental, and social well-
being of an individual (United Nations Organization); it generally includes all aspects related to
reproduction (Women’s Legal Rights Handbook) such as, right to free of sexual inequality, the
empowerment of individual decisions through education and information about sexuality and
reproduction, personal autonomy, and the strict confidential and non-discriminatory access to
health care services. (Russo S.) Reproductive Health care services include sex education, family
planning and counseling, pregnancy-related care such as pre-natal monitoring and postpartum
home visits, sexually transmitted infection (STI) services; testing and counseling, birth control
and contraception, (Berer, M.) sterilization and ligation, services handling sexual violence, and
abortion. (Shalev, C.) Other reproductive rights include the choice for assisted reproduction and
adoption. (Tannjo, S.).

On the other hand, the fertility rights are also extended on the reproductive freedom of a
person. Such rights were stated under the Declaration of Sexual Rights established in the year
2006. These rights include eleven basic sexual rights which covers right to privacy on human
relationship as; the right to sexual freedom, the right to create autonomous decisions about an
individual’s sexual life using his or her context of personal and social ethics, the right to sexual
privacy, the right to emotional sexual expression, the right to express through touching, the right
to sexually associate freely which means the freedom to decide whether to marry or not, to
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

divorce, and to enter into other types of sexual associations, the right to comprehensive sexuality
education, and the right to sexual health care. All these are the scope of every individual’s
fertility rights.

Reproductive and sexual health rights are rights of all people regardless of age, gender
and other characteristics. Provided that, people have the right to make choices regarding their
own sexuality, as far as they respect the rights of others. The knowledge of those rights is critical
to youth’s ability to protect themselves from unwanted reproductive outcomes.

The majority of the youth have very little to none knowledge on what sexual rights they
are entitled to. Sometimes, they do not even appreciate the extent of their violations and worse
still they do not know where they could go, for legal or social advice. Sources of information the
youth traditionally access, such as parents have skewed conception on anything related to
sexuality and approach it from a cautionary perspective rather than from an informative one.
Formal education on sexuality is limited, it is commonly found in science syllabi and in public
forums and seminars which does not cover the entirety of the reproductive and sexual right of an
individual.

Young adults are unable to deal with such violations because of barriers like shame, guilt,
embarrassment, not wanting friends and family to know; confidentiality; fear of not being
believed and partly because of their lack of knowledge and experience on sexuality issues
including legal instruments that may accord them an opportunity to claim and protect sexuality-
related rights.

Problem

General Problem:

The purpose of the research is to assess and measure the knowledge and perception of
students in sexual and reproductive rights.

Specific Problem:

Does the respondent’s religion affect agreeability on republic act no.10354 or also known
as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012?

Is gender a factor in discrimination in purchasing contraceptives?

Is there a relationship between the age of the respondents and the familiarity of one’s
sexual right?
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Significance of the Study

This study set out to assess the level of youth knowledge about reproductive and
sexuality rights and thereby generate appropriate intervention strategies so that mainstream
issues of sexuality and related rights may be included in policies and university curricula.

Theoretical Framework

Sexual and Reproductive Students Knowledge

Rights
(Dependent Variable)
(Independent Variable)

Age, Religion, and Sex

(Intervening Variables)

Methodology

To achieve the objectives of this research, the locale of this research was at Saint Louis
University, Baguio City. This study focused on students and the participants will be chosen
through purposive and snowball sampling. The participants were limited to students who already
have engaged in coitus.

The data was collected through structured interviews. A structured self-administered

questionnaire was used.

Prior the conduct of data gathering, the researcher personally got the consent of the
participants. The interviews were floated in the internet. Participants were informed about the
confidentiality of their answers and were given the assurance that all the information that would
be gathered during the interviews will be only used for research purposes. The interviews were
gathered by using google forms.

This study made use of rational choice theory to interpret the data gathered

The researcher used Pearson Chi square to explore the relationship of both categorical
dependent and independent variables in the study

The reliability of the nominal questions in the interview is =0.8, and the scale questions
is = 1.0
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Results

Demographic Profile

Table 1a

Age Frequency Percent

18-19 5 14.3
20-21 26 74.3
22-23 3 8.6
24-25 1 2.9
Total 35 100.0

Graph 1a

The results of the age of the respondents in this study are as follows: most of the
respondents are belonging to the age bracket of 20-21 years old and the least was belonging to
the age bracket of 24-25 years old.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Table 1b

Religon Frequency Percent

Roman Catholic 26 74.3

Baptist 2 5.7
Jehovah's Witnesses 2 5.7
Others 5 14.3
Total 35 100.0

Graph 1b

The majority of the respondent’s religion is Roman Catholic and the least religion of the
respondents is Baptist and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Table 1c

Gender Frequency Percent

Male 21 60.0
Female 14 40.0
Total 35 100.0

Graph 1c

Majority of the respondents were male, and the less than half were female.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Questions:

Does the respondent’s religion affect agreeability on republic act no.10354 or also
known as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012?

Symmetric Measures

Value Approx. Sig.

Phi .350 .637

Nominal by Nominal
Cramer's V .248 .637
N of Valid Cases 35

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null
hypothesis.

Interpretation: There is no significant relationship between religion and the agreeability

on republic act no.10354 or also known as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health
Act of 2012.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Is gender a factor in discrimination in purchasing contraceptives?

Symmetric Measures

Value Approx. Sig.

Phi .217 .199

Nominal by Nominal
Cramer's V .217 .199
N of Valid Cases 35

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null
hypothesis.

Interpretation:

Gender is a factor in discrimination in purchasing contraceptives

Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Is there a relationship between the age of the respondents and the familiarity of one’s
sexual right?

Symmetric Measures

Value Approx. Sig.

Phi .470 .560

Nominal by Nominal
Cramer's V .272 .560
N of Valid Cases 35

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null
hypothesis.

Interpretation:

There is no relationship between the age of respondents and the familiarity of one’s
sexual right
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Discussion

Does the respondent’s religion affect agreeability on republic act no.10354 or also
known as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012?

Most of the students, regardless of what religious affiliation that they have agreed on the
R.A. 10354 or Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012. Most of the
students were Roman Catholic, this shows that even that they have been raised conservatively
they knew that the law is beneficial to them. Using Rational Choice theory, students have
weighed the pros and cons of the law and have set aside their religious bias in their support for
the law.

Is gender a factor in discrimination in purchasing contraceptives?

Male students are more likely to experience discrimination when purchasing

contraceptives with 3 to 1 ratio, compared to female students with 1:1 ratio. Male students are
likely to experience discrimination because they are the ones who normally buy them in a sexual
relationship. Male students also experience low self-esteem when purchasing contraceptives.

Is there a relationship between the age of the respondents and the familiarity of one’s
sexual right?

The familiarity of one’s sexual right do not lie upon the students age, it lies on the
upbringing of the student. If a student is oriented in this subject they are more likely to
familiarize themselves with this right.

Conclusion

Students are empowered through their individual decisions, education, and information
regarding their own sexual and reproductive rights. Majority of the students have adequate
knowledge of what sexual rights they are entitled to. Students also have shown the resentment to
abortion with a 90% turnout in the survey, this is due to the heavy influence of Roman Catholic
Church in the subject.

Using Rational Choice Theory in analyzing the actions and responses of the students, we
can say that their responses are rooted on their personal beliefs. The students’ attitude towards
their sexual and reproductive right results in their individual decisions and their upbringing and
in this case, majority of the students were part of a religious family and later on discovered their
sexuality and freedom in reproduction. Students do not want to acknowledge abortion because
for them it is not ethical to do so, but the use of sexual contraceptives is acceptable to them
because it provides no consequence in their exploration of their sexuality.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Recommendations

Reproductive and sexual health rights are rights of all people regardless of age, gender
and other characteristics. Provided that, people have the right to make choices regarding their
own sexuality, as far as they respect the rights of others. The knowledge of those rights is critical
to youth’s ability to protect themselves from unwanted reproductive outcomes.

To further empower and educate the students, the stigma of buying contraceptives should
be removed, Health Centers should have a program doling out free contraceptives to students
with age of 18 and above.

The issue on abortion is still highly debated. In order for the sexual right to be fully
realized, abortion must be permitted. Given that an individual wants the act, to protect the
individual from the unwanted reproductive outcome.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Bibliography
Berer, M. (2004). Sexual and Reproductive Health: intersections and implications for national
programmes. Health Policy and Planning, i62-i70.

Feltey, K. M., Ainslie, J. J., & Geib, A. (1991). Sexual Coercion Attitudes among High School Students: The
Influence of Gender and Rape Education. Youth and Society, 229-250.

Hines, D. A. (2007). Predictors of Sexual Coercion Against Women and Men: A Multilevel, Multinational
Study of University Students. Arch Sex Behav, 403-422.

Kontula, O. (2010). The evolution of sex education and students' sexual knowledge in Finland in the
2000s. Sex Education, 373-386.

Littleton, F. K. (2014). How teen girls think about fertility and the reproductive lifespan. Possible
implications for curriculum reform and public health policy. Human Fertility, 180-187.

Sprecher, S., Hatfield, E., Cortese, A., Potapova, E., & Levitskaya, A. (1994). Token Resistance to Sexual
Intercourse and Consent to Unwanted Sexual Intercourse:College Students' Dating Experiences
in Three Countries. The Journal of Sex Research, 125-132.

Women's Legal Rights Handbook. (2015). Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.