Human wellbeing and happiness are intimately bound up with sexual practices. But although they are core areas of our experience, sex and sexuality are also some of our most sensitive and secretive realities.
For these reasons the publication yesterday of the Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships, the most comprehensive research survey of the subject ever undertaken, is welcome indeed. Based on a large sample of the adult population, this sophisticated study reveals details of sexual education, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, and heterosexual and homosexual practices among the Irish people. It is a document which will be a benchmark of public policy for years to come.
There has been a revolution in public attitudes towards sex and sexuality over the last generation. Whereas, in 1975, 71 per cent of people said that sex before marriage was always wrong, only six per cent said this was so last year. Changing sexual behaviour and experience have driven these attitudinal changes. The age at which people report their first sexual experience is now on average 17. There is a growing disjunction between such behaviour, the legal situation and the ability of sexual education to keep up with the change. These findings show a clear relationship between early sexual intercourse and poorer sexual public health profiles concerning contraception, crisis pregnancy and abortion.
Clear implications for sex education arise. Older people found it more difficult to receive proper education from their parents; in many cases this was non-existent. There is overwhelming agreement that young people should receive education in school on sexual intercourse, feelings, contraception, safer sex and homosexuality, with somewhat fewer wanting to see this combined with education in the home. Growing numbers of younger people would like to have more information on how to have a satisfying sex life and safer sex. Meeting these needs presents a challenge to public policy-makers; on this evidence they can be sure of public support as they attempt to do so.
Public health issues are equally pressing. The survey shows that contraception is widely used, but affected by levels of education. There is a strong demand that the morning-after pill should be more available. And two- thirds of those surveyed believe that abortion is acceptable in certain circumstances - another revolutionary change in attitudes within the last generation. But Minister for Health Mary Harney yesterday resisted any suggestion that the constitutional restriction on abortion should be revisited.
That is not surprising given the divisiveness of the issue. But it would be a mistake to disregard the overall recommendations arising from this survey on public education and health-promotion strategies. Moral attitudes have become more responsible and better informed and they now deserve an appropriate political response.