Brendan Ryan (Labour)

This is one of a number of debates we have had in this House in which normal political confrontation is left aside. One of a number of purposes Seanad Éireann can serve is to provide a forum for serious and reflective discussion. I am not saying anything negative about the normal political confrontation which is a necessary part of the way democracy functions.

This issue is among the most terrifying facing us. It terrifies parents, in particular, because of the terrifying incidence of suicide among young people. When my son was 15 years old, one of his classmates committed suicide at the age of 15 years.

Whatever one thinks of the idea of taboos in society, some of which can be carried on long after they are needed, in the incredibly difficult transition from being a child to an adult they served a purpose in that they inhibited individuals from engaging in some of the more extreme behaviour in which the pain of transition might incline them to engage. There is a good aspect to the reduction in the range of taboos, many of which were unhealthy, but the negative aspect is that getting rid of them has, to a degree, lowered the barrier for behaviour in a range of areas.