The "sex is wrong" approach towards young people was out of touch with their behaviour and needed to be changed, according to the Progressive Democrats TD, Ms Fiona O'Malley.
The Dún Laoghaire deputy also said the "destructive message" by a small but persistent lobby that condoms promoted disease should be faced down.
"The fact is that, if people are having sex, and they clearly are, then a condom if used properly provides the best available protection against STI," she said.
However, the Minister of State for Health, Mr Ivor Callely, said that while the Department would "continue in our endeavours to address and deal with the issues, this is not always easy in an area that can be characterised as being surrounded with myths and misinformation".
He said positive sexual health was an important element of our total well-being, access to clear, concise and unbiased information was essential and the Department's health promotion unit had undertaken a sexual health campaign aimed at 18- to 35-year-olds.
Ireland's rates of teenage pregnancy are the second-highest in the EU after the UK, three times that of Netherlands and twice the rate of Sweden.
Speaking following the publication of the UNFPA State of the World Population 2003 report, which highlighted the "alarming rise in sexually transmitted diseases in Ireland", the deputy said the report showed that empowering young people with quality information about relationships and sexual health was a key component in strategies to delay the onset of the first sexual experience.
There were 9,703 reported cases of STI in 2001, a 9.4 per cent increase on 2000. The largest number of cases was in the 20- to-29 age group, and there were 364 reported cases of HIV last year, a 22 per cent increase on the previous year.
The price and unavailability of condoms in some places was a disincentive to their use, said Ms O'Malley.
