Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand that. My last question is on a subject about which many people, I am sure, have thought. We are struck by the low rate of abortion in the Netherlands. The witnesses have related to us the very extensive programme of education and contraception. Could Professor Pajkrt expand on this? Clearly, whatever is being done in the Netherlands is very successful and there are lessons for us in Ireland.

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Professor Eva Pajkrt:To be honest I believe that maybe we could do even better if I could reflect on our own system and consider improvements. I believe that prevention is better than having to treat an issue and I do not believe that anyone disagrees with this. In that regard, contraceptives should be reimbursed or be free for everybody whether a person is 40 or 18. Health and sexual education is very important because if we do not do it children will go online anyway. Everybody has a smart phone now and sometimes what we see on social media is not how we want our kids to be educated about sex. It is very good that we have a system in the Netherlands where sex education is mandatory - it is not discretionary. In elementary school there is a programme. We need to show it to people and we need to see what we are teaching kids. Parents are involved. I was asked by the school to give a sexual education course. My kids told me that if I did it they would never go back to school again, so I did not dare to go in. I did, however, volunteer to tell them a little bit. You just explain it to them, and it helps.