BAGUIO CITY – The local legislative body is currently studying existing policies of higher education institutions in the city on the conduct of pregnancy tests on female students who will be enrolling medical subjects.
Local legislators invited officials of higher education institutions offering medical courses to inquire on the imposition of pregnancy tests to female students who will be taking up medical courses which might be in violation of the right to privacy of the students.
School officials explained that the conduct of pregnancy tests on female students wanting to take up medical courses have been done for a long time and that there were no complaints that were raised against the imposition of the policy.
Further, the school officials asserted that the conduct of the pregnancy tests for female students who will be enrolling in laboratory subjects is a protection for them and the children in their womb because it will relieve them of the stress and the exposure of their children to harmful chemicals.
The school officials asserted that students who will be found to be pregnant based on the results of the pregnancy tests will be advised to take a leave of absence totally or drop their laboratory subjects and pursue the less strenuous ones.
Among the schools that sent their representatives to the consultations conducted by the local legislative body last Monday were the Pines City Colleges, Saint Louis University, University of Baguio, University of the Cordillera and Easter College Inc.
Local legislators agreed to consolidate all the pronouncements of the school officials who attended the meeting and for the concerned committee to come out with its detailed report and recommendations on the issue for the guidance of all sectors concerned.
The schools include in their miscellaneous fees the fee needed for the conduct of the pregnancy test for female students wanting to enrol their laboratory subjects on the medical courses that they are currently taking up in the different private and public universities and colleges in the city.
Earlier, the National Data Privacy Commission (NDPC) also took cognizance of the matter on the possible data breach in the conduct of the pregnancy tests by higher education institutions in the city because of suspicion of alleged data branch on the part of the school in the release of the results of the said tests, thus, it is currently evaluating the policies of the said institutions to ascertain that there will be no data breach on the matter.
The schools were able to comply with the order of the Commission for the submission of the pertinent documents that will be evaluated by the experts to ascertain whatever braches that shall have been done and for the body to make the appropriate recommendations on how to correct such breaches that will not affect the integrity of the institutions concerned.
By Dexter A. See
