IN THE PAST 11 years, the number of teenagers giving birth in Ireland has fallen by 47 per cent – that’s a rate of 20 per 1,000 in 2001 down to 12 per 1,000 in 2012.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office, show that since 2007 there has been a steady decline in teen births and the majority are to girls that are 18 and 19 years of age.
There were 1,720 births to women under 20 in 2011 that number fell by five per cent to 1,639 in 2012.
The HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme welcomed today’s figures and put the fall in numbers down to better quality sex education.
Most teenagers are waiting until they are 17 years of age before they start having sex now and “there are very high rates of contraceptive use reported among young people who are sexually active,” says Dr Kevin Kelleher, head of health protection at the HSE.
Dr Kelleher says the figures show that Relationship and Sexuality Education is having a clear impact but warned that not all schools are delivering the RSE programme.
He also added that the HSE run website, b4udecide.ie is a useful tool for parents to begin talking to their child about relationships and sex.
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