KABATAAN Party-list Rep. Renee Co called for an end to the blaming and stigmatization of young mothers, urging lawmakers to fast-track the passage of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill as a key step in addressing child stunting and malnutrition.

Co was reacting to recent remarks by Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa raising alarm over child stunting, saying the issue should not be simplistically or inaccurately attributed to the supposed bad habits of young mothers.

She said adolescent mothers often fail to meet their own nutritional needs not because of negligence, but due to poverty, lack of support, and social stigma.

“Young mothers do not eat properly because of poverty, lack of support, and discrimination—not because they are careless,” Co said. “We should not add to the blame being heaped on young girls who are themselves the primary victims of the epidemic of early pregnancy.”

While welcoming government initiatives aimed at addressing hunger and improving maternal and child nutrition, the Kabataan Party-list representative stressed that stopgap measures are insufficient to resolve the underlying causes of child stunting.

“Beyond simply providing milk or food supplements to young mothers, we must work together to stop the growing number of adolescent pregnancies,” Co said, reiterating her call for the immediate passage of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill. Co is the principal author of House Bill No. 4115, which seeks to strengthen comprehensive programs to prevent teenage pregnancy.

The party-list group said child stunting and teenage pregnancy are rooted in deeper structural problems, including the lack of decent jobs and access to free, quality education, as well as the prevalence of violence and abuse against women and girls.

“This is not an issue of individual mothers’ responsibility,” Co said. “It is a question of the government’s accountability to the next generation.”

Kabataan Party-list urged the executive branch and Congress to adopt a more holistic, rights-based approach that addresses poverty, expands educational opportunities, and ensures sustained support for adolescents and young mothers as part of efforts to curb both teenage pregnancy and child malnutrition.