The Irish Independent reports that there is a huge increase
in the number of women seeking post abortion counseling from the Irish Family
Planning Association (IFPA).
Bearing in mind previous rhetoric from pro-abortion sources,
which claimed there was no need for post abortion counseling this is significant.
It was probably inevitable that IFPA would try to counter the excellent
counseling available from pro-life sources rather than allow it to be the ‘only
show in town’.
It is also evident from the report that the current
permissive approach to sex education continues to be an abysmal failure with
STI rates reaching record highs in 2011, a 300% increase since recording began
in 1995. Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and genital herpes reached their highest
incidence rates, increasing by 19pc, 33pc and 44pc respectively.
Elsewhere there are reports of significant increases in the
HIV/AIDS statistics for 2011
• 320
people were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2011.
• 235
were male and 85 were female.
• 8.8%
of HIV infections were in 15‐24 year olds.
• The
highest proportion of new diagnoses in 2011
(42.5%) were among men who have sex with men
(MSM).
• Heterosexual
contact accounted for 34% of new
diagnoses. Among the heterosexual cases, 43% were
among individuals originating from countries with
generalised epidemics,
11% had a high‐risk partner or a partner
known to be
HIV positive and 7% had a partner originating from a
country with a generalised epidemic.
• 5%
of new diagnoses were among Injecting Drug Users
(IDUs).
• Three
Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) cases
were diagnosed.
• Ireland
was reported as the country of birth for 119 new
diagnoses (37.3%) and sub‐Saharan Africa for 57 cases
(17.8%). The number of diagnoses among people born
in sub‐Saharan Africa has declined from193 in 2003 to
57 in 2011.
The tragedy faced by young people arises from, and is compounded by, the advice they are given by those who should know better. There is, and always has been, a time tested method of
avoiding all of this, involving abstinence before marriage and faithfulness within
marriage. It is a tragedy that sex education continues to go in the opposite
direction.
