A newly published bill will make it impossible for anyone under the age of 18 to receive a Court dispensation to marry, even as another bill would make it legal for those under the age of 16 to change their sex.
In Ireland, the minimum age for marriage was set at 16 in 1972, and then raised to 18 in 1995, though allowance was made for individuals under 18 to seek an exemption from the courts via a free, informal procedure where they could represent themselves. That provision will be repealed in the Domestic Violence Bill 2017 which was introduced the into the Dáil for Second Stage debate on Friday by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan thereby making it impossible for anyone under 18 to marry.
Yet, the Gender Recognition Act of 2015 enables children as young as 16 to seek a court order to legally change their sex with the consent of parents and the support of medical opinions. However, a bill is already progressing through the Oireachtas, with the backing of the Government, which would allow 16 year olds the right to change their sex without meeting any special conditions (“to self-declare” their new gender), and would allow under 16s (while offering no minimum age) to change their sex through an application to a family court.
At the same time, hospital clinics offer hormonal treatments to children that can render them permanently infertile. These include puberty blockers from the age of 12 to suppress normal sexual development and then cross-sex hormones from age 16.
