Fall in teenage births attributed to better sex education

The Crisis Pregnancy Agency is attributing a fall in teenage births to improved sex education in Ireland.

The agency says the number of teenagers giving birth every year has fallen by 600 over the past five years.

It also says improved sex education has led to a decrease in the number of Irish women having abortions in Britain.

Figures released earlier this year showed that 5,585 women who had abortions at clinics in England and Wales last year provided addresses in the Republic of Ireland, down from 6,217 in 2004.

However, pro-choice groups say this is not an accurate reflection of the abortion situation in Ireland as many Irish women provide the addresses of friends or relatives in Britain.

They also say many Irish women are travelling to countries like Belgium and Holland for abortions.

The CPA says this is something it is concerned about and will investigate.