State’s First Strategy to Combat Crisis Pregnancy is launched

The State’s response to decades of debate around crisis pregnancy, especially the issue of contraception and abortion, was made public today (Wednesday, November 12, 2003) with the publication of the first Strategy to Address the Issue of Crisis Pregnancy.

Launched by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, the statutory body established to combat crisis pregnancy, the Strategy argues that adequately dealing with crisis pregnancy demands effective education, advice and contraception services combined with a cultural change within Irish society.

Speaking at the launch the Minister for Health and Children, Micheál Martin TD, welcomed the Strategy as “a major contribution” to addressing the issue. The Minister said the ambitious Strategy provided a blue-print to guide policy makers and service providers towards the delivery of co-ordinated programmes to prevent crisis pregnancy and to provide a comprehensive and caring response to the needs of women who experience a crisis pregnancy.

Crisis Pregnancy Agency Chairperson, Olive Braiden, said the Strategy outlines the supports and services to help women during and after a crisis pregnancy.
“Information, education and access to contraception reduce both crisis pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Our schools, if they are to totally prepare our children for life must prepare them for a life that will fully acknowledge their sexuality,” she said.

Ms Sharon Foley, Director of the Agency, said that in addition to collating research on the issue, 246 submissions had been received for the Strategy and over 2,000 people were consulted.

Contraception
Within the Strategy the Crisis Pregnancy Agency focuses on what it terms is a “poorly developed” contraceptive service – particularly outside urban areas. Research suggests that less than half (42.9 per cent) of all sexually active females in Ireland always use contraception – the figure is even lower for sexually active males at 26.3 per cent.

A key recommendation within the Strategy is the provision of high quality, accessible and affordable contraceptive services established both within GP practices and also in specialised services. “Research indicates that the use of contraception is particularly low in women seeking abortion (approx. 20 per cent). More effective contraceptive use, when accompanied by education programmes on relationship and sexuality, will mean fewer crisis pregnancies and therefore fewer abortions”. according to Ms Braiden.

Crisis Pregnancy Counselling
Research indicates a woman’s decision to have an abortion is often made very quickly. Crisis pregnancy counselling plays an important role in slowing down the decision-making process so that an informed choice can be made. The Agency
has committed €1.17 million annually to set in place a 50 per cent increase on the current level of crisis pregnancy counselling services. It also plans to develop a specialised training module to ensure, in the shortest possible timeframe, all State-funded crisis pregnancy counsellors are adequately trained.

The Strategy finds that it is probable that most women do not require post-abortion counselling and that only a minority (12 per cent) access post-abortion medical check-ups. In addition to developing protocols the Agency recommends the development of appropriate services that are available and accessible to those who need them.

Sex Education
The provision of sexual education within schools was frequently raised in the research and consultation process adopted to develop the Strategy. Only half of all schools are fully implementing the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) curriculum. Small-scale research studies on teenage pregnancy rates indicate that the average age for initiation of sexual activity, among sexually active teens, is approximately 16 years of age.

What is needed, according to the Agency, is a strong commitment from boards of management and the Department of Education itself in driving and supporting RSE in schools by the provision of proper funding, development of support structures and accreditation of teachers if necessary. The Agency also believes it is critical that both parents and schools play a joint role in the delivery of RSE.

The Strategy further advocates the development of comprehensive “abstinence plus” sexuality education. This model, according to the Agency, is used in countries with lower teenage pregnancy rates. The Strategy states: ‘abstinence only’ or ‘abstinence alone’ approaches are not proven to be effective in affecting rates of teenage pregnancy or the onset of sexual activity.

Research
An urgent need identified by the Agency, according to Ms Foley, is a national sexual knowledge, attitudes and behaviours study to examine knowledge of contraception and fertility. “This major study will be undertaken next year by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency in conjunction with the Department of Health.”

Key Statistics
A major element of the Strategy is to collate for the first time some of the key statistics in relation to pregnancies and abortion. The Strategy states that there is no one reliable statistic to represent the number of crisis pregnancies.

In 2002, a total of 6,469 women gave Irish addresses at UK abortion clinics. Up to 80 per cent of abortions are to single women, with the highest abortion rate among 20 to 24 year olds and those over 40. Approximately 20 per cent of conceptions within these two age groups end in abortion. Irish abortion figures are compiled by the Department of Health in the UK and represent the number of women who give Irish addresses at UK abortion clinics.

The number of births to teenagers in Ireland has remained relatively stable over the last three decades.

Public Information Campaigns
The Agency also intends to build promotional campaigns aimed at the 20-30 age group. Its current advertising campaign Positive Options – which promotes crisis pregnancy services – has received over 40,000 text requests since being launched earlier this year.

Targeting both men and women, forthcoming campaigns will focus specifically on sexual health and the prevention of crisis pregnancy. The Strategy also promises a particular focus on third-level students involving partnerships with the Union of Students and other student bodies to promote safer sex and pregnancy prevention on campus.

Further Actions & Recommendations in the Strategy include:

• VAT on condoms to be reduced from the current rate of 21 per cent to the lower rate of 13.5%.
• A National Sexual Health Strategy to be developed to guide service development and delivery.
• The issues which are still impacting negatively on the availability of low-cost quality childcare be tackled.
• The earnings disregard and rate of payment for the one-parent family payment be revised to take account of inflation.
• The current rates of rent supplements should be updated in light of increases in rent charged, especially in the greater Dublin area.
• Entitlements and supports available to assist teenage parents to remain in school should be extended nationally and promoted to those in a position to advise pregnant teenagers.
• Guidelines for schools should be developed on how to facilitate teenage parents to remain in education.
• Strategies should be developed to promote the up-take of third-level education by lone parents.
• Young lone parents should be means tested against their own incomes, rather than those of their parents.
• The Agency is funding a three-year project with Portiuncula Hospital, Co. Galway, to research the issue of concealment of pregnancies and to suggest appropriate responses.

The Crisis Pregnancy Agency was established in October 2001 to lead forward a process of information, education, research and advice on crisis pregnancy in a constructive and non-confrontational way.

The full text of the Strategy and summary document are available at www.crisispregnancy.ie

For further information, please contact Caroline Spillane, Programmes and Communications Manager, Tel 087 2644819 or 01 8146292