By Thaddeus
M. Baklinski
DUBLIN,
April 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Girls who become sexually active before age
17 are almost 70 percent more likely to experience a crisis pregnancy in later
life and three times more likely to procure abortion in their lifetime than
those who wait until they are older, according to a study released by the Irish
Crisis Pregnancy Agency.
The Irish
Study of Sexual Health and Relationships, the largest nationally representative
study on sexual knowledge, attitudes and behaviour ever undertaken in Ireland,
was published by the Department of Health and the Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA)
today.
The
research found that 14.9 per cent of men and 7.9 per cent of women first
engaged in sex when they were less than 16 years old. A majority of the women
in that group (59 percent) and more than a third of the men (37 percent)
regretted it.
The study
states, "Lower age of first sex is strongly associated with regret at the
timing of first sex, among both men and women."
"According
to research, the majority of young people wait until they are 17 or older to
have sex for the first time," said the CPA's chairperson Katharine
Bulbulia.
"However,
for those who have had sex before 17, the research shows the impact of early
first sex on the individual's later sexual health, and suggests that some young
people...are having first sex at a time that is not right for them.
"We
need to equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to delay
their first sexual experience."
The report
explained that the average age of first sexual encounter for both men and women
has steadily declined over the last half century. "Most people now in
their 20s will have had their first sexual experience before they were
18." The study found that the current median age of first sexual
intercourse is 18 for men and 19 for women. The median age for men currently
aged 60 to 64 is 22; for women, 23. For men and women currently under 25, it is
17.
The survey
of more than 7,400 men and women, found early school dropouts were more likely
to lose their virginity as young teenagers than those who stayed in school and
completed their education.
The study
also found that, for people under 30, 38 percent of men and around 20 percent
of women said they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they lost
their virginity.
The study
recommended, "Parents need to be acknowledged as the primary relationships
and sexuality educators of their children, and to be supported in that role. They
need supports provided through a range of initiatives. These supports should
particularly address the needs of parents who most need assistance, such as
those in lower socio-economic groups."
The study
also stated, "Health promotion strategies need to foster more responsible
public behaviour concerning the use of alcohol and illicit drugs, given their
role in sexual encounters."