After the wheel, humanity’s most useful invention is not the iPod, the combustion engine, the left-handed tin-opener or even, dare I say it, the printing press. It’s contraception. God bless the makers of the pill, condoms, Dutch caps and spermicides – they have freed (most of) us from a life of producing babies once a year. And they have saved us too from dreaded celibacy! We really can’t thank them enough.
Despite the wide range of contraceptive methods available, 2,560 Irish teens gave birth last year. Although the numbers are down from previous years, Ireland still has the second-highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe. We need to start doing something about it.
The reasons for this may be complex and various, but the fact that obtaining contraception in Ireland is more fraught than elsewhere is at least part of the problem. True, it’s nothing like the bad old days when “Contraceptive” Mary Robinson rode the Condom Train into Dublin, but being responsible about sexual behaviour is not as easy as it should be.
Mary Harney’s recent remarks that she would advocate giving emergency contraception – the morning after pill – to 11 year olds caused widespread controversy. According to the minister, she would be in favour of this, provided the girl had parental permission.
There was something sensationalist in the way in which the comment was reported. In truth, not many 11 year olds are sexually active, and if an eleven year old becomes pregnant as a result of rape or incest, then that clearly is a different sort of issue. Nonetheless, many teens under the age of consent are sexually active.
The legal age of consent in Ireland is 17, but the Crisis Pregnancy Agency estimates that around 30% of Irish teens are ‘having sex’. Whether all of these have had full sexual intercourse is not clear – but that some young teenagers do have penetrative genital sex is indisputable. Think of those 2,560 who became pregnant…
Given that doctors are extremely unlikely to prescribe contraception to girls under 16, it’s hardly surprising that so few teens use the pill. If underage teens are having sex, they’re hardly going to admit this to their parents in order to obtain the necessary permission to start taking the pill on a regular basis. I am not saying that they should, but the fact is that most teens would rather put themselves at risk than discuss their sex lives with parents.
As it happens, I don’t think it’s particularly advisable for young teenagers to be having sex, but that doesn’t mean they won’t. No one would – or, given the fact that the law is being broken, could - expect doctors to hand over the pill to girls under circumstances that seem suspicious. Nevertheless, in cases where the sexual relationship is consensual, the legalities notwithstanding, I have a gut feeling that teenagers should be able to obtain contraception freely and confidentially.
I lived in South Africa as a teenager, and a number of my friends there became sexually active before reaching the age of consent. One of my sisters, who is married to the one and only man she has ever had sex with, started taking the pill at 15. Had she had to obtain my parents' consent, I’m pretty sure she would have relied on coitus interruptus and prayer, neither of which are as reliable as teenagers might hope.
For young people who are over the age of consent, money may be the biggest issue. Trips to the clinic and the cost of condoms all add up, so it’s not surprising that chances are taken. Greater state funding for clinics to offer services to those with limited incomes would go along way towards creating a culture of sexually responsible behaviour.
Getting a prescription for the pill is a rite of passage for most girls at some stage. It can be embarrassing, as bad as the birds and the bees lecture from your folks, but there is no reason why teenagers should be denied contraception because they can’t afford it.
I remember my first time as if it were yesterday. My boyfriend at the time held my hand until the old battle-axe at the Family Planning Association was ready to see me. When I told her what I wanted, she pursed her lips as if I had suggested an orgy with three circus performers, a Great Dane, handcuffs, ankle-shackles and a nun.
I left the clinic feeling as if the word “SLAPPER" was tattooed on my forehead, but with a six-month’s supply of the pill and about sixty free condoms. However mortifying it was, at least I didn’t have to pay upwards of £40 for the privilege of being sexually responsible. Unfortunately, many Irish girls are not as lucky.
Thankfully condoms are now widely available, but sometimes this is not enough. No matter how much we promote safe sex, sometimes people act irresponsibly. And even for those who do use condoms, accidents can happen. It happened to me once, and I was shocked to discover that the morning-after pill could not be obtained over the counter. Instead, the chemist informed me, I needed to see a doctor.
Although I was working at the time, I was temping and my income was sporadic, so the extra expense of seeing the doctor was something I hadn’t bargained on. Plus, having to take time off work was an inconvenience I could have done without. I have to say I was almost tempted to take my chances – but as the women in my family are all above average in the fertility stakes, the possibility was too great that I would come a cropper, so I went to see the local GP and stumped up.
Luckily the condom accident happened with my boyfriend of the time. Had it been a one-night stand with another guy, I would have had a harrowing wait of up to six weeks to see if I had been infected with an STD.
Growing up in South Africa, where condoms, the pill and STD screening can all be obtained freely and easily, it seems to me ridiculous that a country as wealthy as the Celtic Tiger cannot offer these services to all of its citizens.
Responsible sexual behaviour is not an option; it’s a necessity. If the government is serious about promoting this, we need cheaper, easier and freer access to health services. In an ideal world, nobody would have unprotected sex, pick up a disease or have an unwanted pregnancy.
But the world is far from an ideal place, and Ireland – for all its pleasures – is hardly paradise.