New Irish Web site launched for teens thinking about having sex

December 14, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News

A new Web site launched by Ireland’s Crisis Pregnancy Agency provides useful and non-judgmental information to teenagers interested in having sex.

Advertised as having “the facts without the lecture”, the new site b4udecide.ie was launched today with the intent of providing factual and unbiased information to teens, parents, teachers and youth workers.

The site was created by Ireland’s Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA). The agency, in conjunction with the Department of Health, published the Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships in 2006. The research focused on over 7,400 Irish people and their responses to sex, education, and teenage pregnancy. Much of the content of the site is based on the results of this study.

In addition to the 2006 study, the CPA interviewed 40 adults, a group comprised of teachers, health workers, youth workers, and parents. One of the key ideas found in the interviews was that information and advice about relationships and sex “should not be patronizing and it should not ‘talk-down’ to teenagers.”

Afterwards, the agency spoke with teens from six major cities in Ireland to hear what they had to say about sex, peer pressure and teenage pregnancy. Many of those opinions are reflected in videos and personal statements on the site.

Actress Cliona Ni Chiosain, of the television show “Aifric”, spoke during the site’s launch event. “This will be a lifeline for so many people,” said Chiosain. “With more websites like this, peer pressure can be eliminated.”

Caroline Spillane, director of the CPA, stressed that more efforts needed to be made by individuals and groups to provide unbiased information to teenagers who are naturally curious about sex.

“State organizations, parents, teachers and youth workers must work together to ensure that all young people are similarly equipped with the knowledge and confidence to handle the pressures they experience, and make healthy, informed decisions about relationships and sex,” said Spillane.

Dr. Garret Fitzgerald, an agency supporter, agreed, telling the Irish Examiner: “This is very badly needed and has been done very skillfully, very sensitively, very effective[ly] in a way which very few public organizations can do. It’s a sensitive area and is doing work that is of enormous importance.”

Visit the site at: http://www.b4udecide.ie/