Parental consent required for those under 16 seeking abortions
PARENTAL consent will be required where somebody is under the age of 16 and seeking a termination of pregnancy under the new legislation which caters for the outcome of the referendum on the Eight Amendment, Health Minister Simon Harris told the Dáil.
‘There is no need to put this in legislation,’ he said ‘We already have provisions for medical consent. It is in the Medical Council guidelines and the HSE’s policy of consent for young people with children. There are obviously exceptional circumstances and we have discussed them already. However, the rules on medical consent are exactly the same for this procedure as for any other.’
The Minister was replying to Waterford Fianna Fáil Deputy Mary Butler who said for example, if a young girl below the age of 16 needs an appendicitis operation, she needs parental consent.
‘I assume if a young girl needs a surgical abortion, she would also need parental consent,’ she said. ‘The Minister should confirm this on the record of the House. I refer to the case of a young girl under the age of 16 who needs a medical abortion and who attends her GP, as a young girl who presents to her GP looking for the birth control pill normally has to have medical consent. It is extremely important that this is put on the record of the House.’
The Bill passed all Stages in the Dáil by 95 votes to 15, with 12 abstentions.