The morning-after pill should be available without a prescription, the Irish Family Planning Association has said.
At the launch of the IFPA's Christmas Safe Sex message, its medical director, Dr Sheila Jones, said post-coital contraception was available over the counter in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, a number of Mediterranean countries as well as in some chemists in Britain and Northern Ireland.
Dr Nial O'Leary, GP and IFPA spokesman, said access to the morning-after pill without a prescription would "make people more likely to use it". A woman must now get an appointment with her GP, IFPA clinic or Well Woman clinic to get a prescription for it.
"Some people are still embarrassed about having to talk about sex to get the morning-after pill," Dr O'Leary said, "or else they feel it's too much hassle, that they have take time off work or whatever."
The IFPA said there was always greater demand for post-coital contraception after Christmas. "With higher alcohol consumption, increased levels of socialising and time off work, people tend to be more sexually active," Dr Jones said. As well as the increased numbers seeking the pill after Christmas, there was "a higher demand for our non-directive pregnancy-counselling services.
"All of this is down to the fact that people have not used contraceptives or have failed to use them properly over Christmas."
She also expressed concern at the continuing increase in the level of sexually transmitted diseases in the State. Over the past 10 years, the number notified to the Department of Health has doubled.
Between 1989 and 1999, there was a six-fold increase in the cases of genital warts and a five-fold increase in the incidence of chlamydia, a symptomless disease which can cause infertility in women.
Dr Jones called on the Government to step up its publicity campaigns on safe sex and contraception, particularly during peak periods such as at Christmas.
Mr Tony O'Brien, chief executive of the IFPA, said the greatest increase in the incidence of HIV and AIDS was now in the heterosexual non-drug-using population.
The morning-after pill must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. IFPA clinics will be open on December 24th and will reopen on December 27th.
