Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I am happy that there is general agreement in society that we should make every effort to tackle the problem of crisis pregnancy. This view is shared by all persons, regardless of their views on the substantive issue of abortion. Over 6,000 women from this country have abortions abroad every year. In fact, a figure of approximately 10,000 is often quoted in this regard.

The All-Party Committee on the Constitution published a report on the issue of abortion in November 2000. The report stated that various Departments, State bodies and voluntary organisations have responsibilities for the issues which impact on this problem. The committee decided that a single planning focus was required to address the complexity of the programmes needed and to provide the cohesion necessary for their success. The establishment of an agency to be responsible for drawing up a strategy to combat crisis pregnancies was proposed to this end. The agency was to be responsible for promoting options other than abortion when a crisis pregnancy occurs and for providing for post-crisis pregnancy services. Having considered the committee's recommendation, the Government announced in October 2001, with all-party agreement, that the Crisis Pregnancy Agency was to be established. The Government's intention in establishing the agency was to ensure that women who encounter crisis situations will have available to them the widest possible range of assistance to help them to cope.

I am pleased that, since its establishment, the Crisis Pregnancy Agency has given new impetus to and has begun to play a major role in the development of co-ordinated, responsive and appropriate services for crisis pregnancy. The major "Positive Options" information campaign, which was developed by the agency in 2002, has been promoting support services in crisis pregnancy. The focus of the campaign is on helping women to be more aware of their options if they have a crisis pregnancy and on improving the supports and assistance available to them in such circumstances. Initiatives undertaken as part of the campaign have included a text message service, an information leaflet, posters, a web page and, in recent weeks, television advertisements. A tremendous 2,760 text messages were received on the first night that the television advertisement was screened. The campaign has received over 40,000 text requests for information as a result of hearing or seeing the "Positive Options" television advertisement or reading the available material. I understand that women may experience an overwhelming sense of isolation and confusion in crisis pregnancy situations. I am confident, however, that the information campaign has provided and will continue to provide invaluable support to many such women.

A strategy to address the issue of crisis pregnancy was launched in November 2003. The comprehensive and ambitious strategy document encompasses all aspects of crisis pregnancy, from prevention to post-crisis pregnancy support. It provides a blueprint to guide policy makers and service providers in the delivery of co-ordinated programmes to prevent crisis pregnancy and to provide a comprehensive and caring response to the needs of women with crisis pregnancies. Some of the actions can be taken in the short to medium term but others, such as influencing cultural change, will require longer and more sustained approaches. The objectives of the strategy will be underpinned by a programme of research and policy advice. The agency has invested €900,000 in a comprehensive research programme which will deepen our understanding of the issues surrounding crisis pregnancy and enable the agency to target its actions accurately.

The strategy also deals with crisis pregnancy prevention. It emphasises that the number of crisis pregnancies, and hence abortions, could be reduced by the constant and correct use of effective methods of contraception. In conjunction with health promotion initiatives surrounding the use of contraception, the agency has called for measures to ensure that emergency contraception is more widely available on a national basis. Protocols for the prescription of contraception will be developed with the ICGP and the role and use of emergency contraception will be the subject of a promotion campaign. Other prevention initiatives include a programme of relationships and sexuality education for adolescent boys and girls and young men and women and a programme of skills-building for teachers, health care workers and parents, so that people can be supported and educated by the professionals they come into contact with regularly.

The agency's remit also relates to supports during crisis pregnancy. The agency found that a decision to have an abortion can be made very quickly, which is quite sad. It reasoned that by slowing the decision-making process, women have more time to make informed choices. They need to be sure that they will receive professional and quality counselling, regardless of the option they are considering. Accordingly, while the agency acknowledges the sterling work done in this area by the main crisis pregnancy agencies, it has addressed the issue of quality assurance in respect of pregnancy counselling agencies. The strategy provides for the development of a training module for crisis pregnancy counsellors, so that in the shortest time possible all such counsellors will receive additional training to standardise the delivery of counselling. I particularly welcome this initiative.

The needs of a woman who has had an abortion have been considered. Research suggests that while no woman chooses abortion lightly, the conviction of some women that it is the right choice for them is very strong. They may choose abortion because they not want to have children at this time, or perhaps ever, or because they feel their circumstances are not conducive to parenting. Such a decision may be based on their relationship experiences, living arrangements, levels of support, goals and aspirations, financial and emotional states or many other variables. The agency has commissioned research to investigate these influences and how supports and services can be developed. The main objectives in this area are setting standards for post-abortion medical check-ups and counselling, as well as ensuring that services are available and accessible. Even in countries where abortion is freely available, however, only about 12% of women seek a post-abortion check-up.

The strategy recognises that not everyone will need post-crisis pregnancy services. It aims to ensure that quality services are available and accessible when required by those who recognise that they might need help. This involves, for example, the provision of further training for health professionals and consultations with agencies in the United Kingdom.

In the most ambitious section of the strategy, it is reasoned that cultural change is an important aspect in reducing the number of crisis pregnancies. The agency has envisioned a society in which crisis pregnancy is not glamorised or sensationalised; women are supported rather than being judged or having their actions condoned; responsibility for one's actions is promoted; and negative, damaging or misleading messages about sexual health and crisis pregnancy are challenged. It is clear that we can only reduce the number of crisis pregnancies by facing the reality of sexual health in Ireland and reacting in a mature and reflective manner. Although realistically the agency cannot hope to achieve a major cultural shift in society, I hope it will be able to plant the seeds for this change.

I look forward to the statements and comments of Members and I assure them that their views will be fully evaluated by my Department.

Earlier I welcomed the contingent of visitors from St. Brigid's boys national school; I am delighted to welcome the remainder of that contingent.