Pregnancy crisis: unplanned, unwanted

ONE-IN-THREE Irish women who discover they are pregnant did not plan the pregnancy and do not want the baby, according to Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA) research to be published later this week.

Most of them come to terms with their situation and go on to give birth but 15%, almost one-in-seven, choose not to continue with the pregnancy and opt for abortion.

Failure to use contraception or a failed method of contraception are the most common causes of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies despite evidence that there is no shortage of knowledge of, or access to, means of birth control. The findings come from the most extensive research programme undertaken into crisis pregnancies in Ireland and reveal the problem is widespread across all age groups.