Only half of all schools in the State are fully implementing the Department of Education's sex education programme. This is according to figures disclosed yesterday by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency when it published its first strategy to combat such pregnancies.
The chairwoman of the agency, Ms Olive Braiden, said while the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme was mandatory, some parents were keeping their children at home on days it was being taught.
She called for the programme to be properly funded and supported by both boards of management and the Department of Education. "Another problem is that there isn't comprehensive training for all teachers," she said.
Launching the agency's strategy at the National Concert Hall, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said the level of implementation of the RSE programme was of concern. "I was surprised at the figure of 50 per cent," he admitted. "I would be confident we can increase on the levels."
The agency said there was no reliable statistic to represent the number of crisis pregnancies in the State every year. However it received 2,694 requests by text for information on all options when confronted by a crisis pregnancy in response to a TV advert broadcast one night last month. Since the beginning of the year, it has received 40,000 text requests.
The agency also said 6,469 women gave Irish addresses at British abortion clinics last year. The highest rate was among 20 to 24-year-olds and those over 40.
Its figures also show that the number of girls aged 15 and under who went to Britain for an abortion last year doubled to 54. The numbers seeking abortions in all other age groups, apart from those aged 35 and over, fell when compared to 2001.
The agency's strategy to combat crisis pregnancy will cost €7.5 million a year over the next three years. It calls for high quality, accessible and affordable contraceptive services across the State. It says they are poorly developed outside the main urban centres. It wants emergency contraception to be more widely available and has called for the VAT on condoms to be reduced from 21 per cent to 13.5 per cent.
It also wants more counselling services for women with crisis pregnancies as well as greater access to post-abortion medical check-ups.
Ms Braiden said women were finding it difficult to get appointments to see a counsellor, such was the demand for the service. Cultures with a more open attitude to sexual health such as the Netherlands had fewer crisis pregnancies. A cultural shift was needed in Ireland if they were to be adequately dealt with here, she added.
The agency was set up in 2001 to reduce the number of crisis pregnancies through education, advice and contraceptive services and to reduce the number of women who opted for abortion by offering them services and supports which made other options more attractive. These would include low-cost childcare and higher rent supplements.