Popping Babies

Before anything else, I want to share this little conversation I had on Plurk (had to put in the initials of the guy for some reason I hope you’ll understand):

J:  popping babies,,, dont get me wrong ahh, ano yon??

M: basta-basta na lang nabubuntis ang mga tao. I just attended cy new niece’s christening.

M: The thing is, my cousin(the one who just had a baby) is just 20 years old. Like me.

J: neko neko: then what do you want to point out?

J: neko nkeo:: pag popping babies,., nde ba word na ginagamet un sa puppies?? aheheheh,,, parang aun pumapasok sa isip ko,,

M: puro unwanted babies kasi. Well, not necessarily unwanted pero di planado yung bata.

J: neko: malay mo nmn that child is the next einstein, or maybe next edard cullin, or maybe next great politician who will change the phil.??

M: so what if the child has the potential to become einstein or anyone who would change the Philippines? let’s not be too optimistic…

M: pinanganak nga yung bata nang di prepared yung parents. Wala pa nga silang proper jobs e. Paano nila papalakihin ang bata?

J:  neko neko,, my dear neko,., it now their responsibilities,.,

J:  siguro shes your bestfriends, or maybe a close friends, or maybe ormaybe

So I’m not sure if it’s the right term to use. It’s just what I felt like using right now. Err…

Around four years ago, my relatives learned that I have a boyfriend. Geeky, geeky Madz has a boyfriend. So I got tons of mini lectures, uncles telling me not to marry anytime soon or “you shoul’ve waited until you graduated.” Then there were those weird looks. It was uncomfortable.

Around a year later, one of my cousins had a baby. And her dad didn’t even knew she had a boyfriend. Everybody hushed and forgot about the then fourteen year-old Madz who had a boyfriend.

Last year, one of my acquaintances back from high school had a baby. She had to stop going to school for a while.

This year, another cousin of mine had a baby. I only knew about it when my aunt came to our house asking for some financial assistance for the baby and, oh, I’m a ninang (godmother).

Another high school acquaintance just had a baby this year too.

Now it feels weird that girls I know accidentally get pregnant at the time of Frenzy Condoms commercials and Reproductive Health Bill issues on TV. If they are knowledgeable enough, they should’ve worn condoms or used contraceptive pills if they wanted to have sex.

I can’t blame them if they wanted to have sex. It’s human nature. But they shoul’ve taken the responsibility for their actions by using contraceptives. Or at least know if the girl has a high chance of getting pregnant on the day they wanted to have sex. We should all listen to our Biology teachers.

Well, unless they really wanted a baby then we can’t do anything about that.

But, can they support the child? It’s not easy to care for a child. Can they afford to buy milk, medical supplies, check-ups, clothes and whatnot? Do they have their own jobs?  Will they be able to go back to school? They can’t depend on their parents forever to care for their child.

People, let’s think about the consequences of our actions.