Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the requirement to divorce, the focus should be on the fact that under the current law and the Constitution, marriage is entered into by a man and a woman. The question is raised on entry into marriage; therefore, there should not be a requirement to divorce in the circumstances we are discussing.

I take the point made on having an age limit as opposed to referring to the circumstances of the individual. If the concern is a person may not be mature enough to make the decision, or parents may not make the correct decision on their child's behalf, the fact is it can be reversed. That is the safety net we need. This should be enough to allow not having an age limit of 18 years in the legislation.