The Irish Times wants GPs to be allowed to prescribe the Pill to minors without their parents’ consent. 
In an editorial today, the paper endorsed controversial proposals made by the Law Reform Commission (LRC) last December which would allow minors aged 14 to 16 to be prescribed the Pill without parental consent.
An opinion poll by Red C commissioned by the Iona Institute in March showed that 77 percent of the public are opposed to proposals to provide 14-15 year olds with contraception without parental permission.
At the time, the proposals drew criticism from leading parents group the National Parents’ Council (NPC), who said that it had serious concerns about handing over decision-making powers in relation medical and health matters to 15-to 17-year-olds.
The proposal would put us in line with British law. The pregnancy rate among British teenagers aged under 16 is six times higher than here.
The Association of General Practitioners (GPA) also criticised the LRC proposal when it was first mooted, saying that children who have an idea of what is in store medically are the exception, rather than the rule.
The editorial said that the Government “must take the Law Reform Commission’s advice and legislate to eliminate the current conflict between parent, prescriber and patient”.
It said: “The law must keep pace with the times and reflect the reality that the average age of initial sexual intercourse has fallen sharply in recent times.”
The editorial expresses support for the so-called “mature minor” principle, or Gillick rule, in force in the UK, and espoused by the LRC proposals.
The rule followed a UK court ruling that “the parental right to determine whether or not their minor child below the age of 16 will have medical treatment terminates if and when the child achieves a sufficient understanding and intelligence to enable him or her to understand fully what is proposed”.
The LRC proposals also recommend that children aged 14 or 15 be regarded as capable of giving consent to being given the Pill under certain conditions including that the medical professional should encourage the child to inform his or her parents (or guardians)
Furthermore, under the proposals, treatment could also be provided to children aged 12 or 13 under the condition that the parents (or guardians) are notified and their views taken into account.
While the LRC proposals suggest that current Irish law regarding 16 year-olds may well allow them to consent to using the Pill, their document recommends changing the law to introduce clarity in this area.
The proposals drew criticism, however, notably from Professor David Paton, an economist from the University of Nottingham.
Professor Paton, an expert in UK teen pregnancy strategies, in a submission on behalf of the Iona Institute to the LRC, noted that rates of teenage pregnancy in Ireland were far below those in England and Wales.
Comparing Irish pregnancy rates for under-16s with those in England and Wales (where parental consent for contraception is not required), he found there “were an estimated 73 pregnancies to Irish girls below the age of 16, a rate of 0.91 per thousand girls aged 13-15.”
According to the data, these comprised 27 abortions conducted in England and Wales and 46 births.
Professor Paton wrote: “The comparable rate for England & Wales was 5.51 per thousand, over 6 times higher than in Ireland.”
In his paper, Professor Paton said that the Irish rate of teenage pregnancy here was amongst the lowest in Europe.
