CHR to probe mandatory pregnancy testing at Baguio college

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) launched an investigation into alleged mandatory pregnancy testing at the Pines City Colleges in Baguio City.

In a Tuesday night statement, the CHR said they were alarmed over documents circulating the internet which alleged this policy.

"Dismissal on the basis of pregnancy is clearly prohibited under the Magna Carta of Women (MCW),"CHR spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia pointe out in the statement.

"The prohibition against dismissing students on the basis of pregnancy does not distinguish between public or private educational institutions," she added.

The CHR argued further that women and girls should not be denied the exercise and full enjoyment of basic rights, and neither should they suffer negative consequences in educational and work spaces, simply because they are pregnant.

As Gender Ombud, the CHR, through its Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) office, was investigating the case "motu propio" with the appropriate due process and verifications.

According to the alleged Pines City Colleges memo circulating online, students were told to prepare for pregnancy testing  from November 7 to 9.

In a Facebook post, the college announced that it would not scrap its pregnancy testing requirement  as the measure was for students' protection. — Margaret Claire Layug/DVM, GMA News