Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Ministry of Health has clarified that the provision of contraceptives for adolescents, as outlined in Article 103 of Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024, applies only to married teens who wish to delay pregnancy until they are physically and mentally ready.

“This initiative is aimed at married teens who wish to postpone pregnancy until they are fully prepared,” said Acting Head of the Bureau of Communication and Public Services, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, on Tuesday (6/8/2024).

She explained that the initiative addresses the high number of child and adolescent marriages. 

Nadia explained that Article 109 of the regulation provides for contraceptive services for couples of childbearing age while Article 103 focuses on reproductive health efforts for school-age and adolescent individuals, based on a life-cycle approach because reproductive health needs vary throughout life stages.

A new Minister of Health regulation will soon provide detailed guidelines on procedures, monitoring, and penalties to prevent misinterpretation, according to antaranews.com.

President Joko Widodo signed Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024 on 26 July 2024, which implements Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health.

(mg/inp/pr/nm)