Let’s be realistic about underage sex problem

I WAS disappointed with the views expressed by Dr Florence Craven in her letter headlined ‘State should not have to pay for loose morals’ (April 21) in response to news of an increase in the number of underage girls seeking the morning-after pill.

As a UCC graduate in public health and health promotion, I was taught to look beyond the simple information provision approach. Is informing individuals (including those underage) of the dangers of unprotected sex part of solving the problem? Yes, but it is so much more than this.

For instance, has Dr Craven considered that these girls may not perceive themselves as at risk (a cornerstone of the discipline of psychology), hence the “are they not now sufficiently educated?” argument does not hold up. Or that the culture they have grown up in could be partly to blame, rather than their “irresonsible, self-depricating actions”?

The rest of her argument seems to be a rehash of the “abstinence is best” debate, which is a nice concept in theory, but is equivalent to a horse wearing blinkers in the world of public health. We need realistic solutions and a dose of commonsense and understanding, not casting down judgment which can only result in stigmatising individuals.

Thomas McCarthy

Summer Hill North

Cork