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Controversial religious programmes from the US are finding their equivalents here, writes FIONOLA MEREDITH

JUST SAY NO – that’s the fundamental message of controversial abstinence campaigns such as the US-based Silver Ring Thing, aimed at encouraging teenagers to save sex for the marriage bed. But this is not just an American phenomenon. Similar “abstinence-centred” approaches are taking an increasingly defining role in the sex education of young people in Ireland. And a report from the US last week indicated that abstinence-focused approaches can – contrary to the findings of many other international studies – convince a significant proportion of teenagers to delay sexual activity.