John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome members of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency in the Gallery. While there may be crises and even unwanted pregnancies, there is no such thing as an unwanted baby and I would like the members of the agency to take this message from the debate. Many families in this country would love to adopt a child. Irish families are travelling all over the world, including to Guatemala, Russia and China, to bring back children for adoption. Part of the agency's remit should be to make it plain to young girls or women in crisis pregnancy that adoption is what they should seek for their children who will be loved, cherished and treasured. This is an important message as we are concerned with reducing the number of abortions, which are the worst possible option.

We need to find a coherent strategy to address the disturbing rise in the numbers of women seeking abortions in Britain. The establishment of the agency gives the opportunity to address this. We must develop a range of social measures to meet the needs of women in crisis pregnancy in tandem with the fullest possible protection for the unborn child. Young girls and boys are under huge pressure from the media, specifically British magazines. While they cannot vote until they are 18, the images presented to young people, and the pressures they are under, would be difficult for even adults to handle.

We can do something about crisis pregnancies and the rising trend in abortion - this rising trend is not inevitable. Statistics from Poland and parts of the United States show that when the conditions that pressurise women to opt for abortion are addressed, the abortion rate can be reduced. I instance the Vitae Caring Foundation in the State of Missouri. It has aired advertisements for a number of years and, because of this, Missouri has the fastest dropping abortion rate in the United States. This should be part of the remit of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency.

The abortion statistics for Poland show a dramatic decline. The fall in the rate pre-dated the tightening of Poland's abortion laws. While this may have been due in part to social changes that accompanied the fall of communism, it seems likely that targeted education campaigns had the dominant effect.

The suggestion has been made that we are in some way complicit in agreeing that abortion is okay in Britain, or that the health boards would send a girl to have an abortion there. It is not the preferred option. We are not the Mujahidin and do not prevent people from leaving the country. Surely the health boards should comply with our laws. The pure intent of our legislation is that the preferred option is life.

I suggest a more holistic approach. There should be respect for the dignity of the individual. Taking full account of the damage caused to emotions as well as the physical consequences of early sexual activity, there should be a campaign - as Senator Henry suggested - encouraging people to abstain from sex until they are better able to handle it emotionally. There is no contraception against getting hurt.