Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to add to what has been stated by my colleague on amendments Nos. 40 and 45, which I support. I acknowledge that Senator Mullen outlined that these amendments will not be pressed here today but they have been tabled for a reason. Amendment No. 45 requires parental notification in respect of an abortion performed on a minor under the age of 16 except in circumstances where it is in the minor's best interests to dispense with such notification, such as if she was raped by her father, for example. We seek to give parents the right to know if their daughter under the age of 16 is having an abortion.

As the Minister will know, the general age of consent for surgical, medical or dental treatment is 16 under section 23 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997. However, in certain circumstances procedures may be carried out on children under 16 without consent. Any parent watching this debate or reading media reports on this issue would be shocked to learn that his or her child could undergo an abortion without his or her knowledge if the Bill is not amended. I have received representations from parents who are gravely concerned about this aspect of the Bill.

Other Senators have referred to situations involving an already vulnerable child who may have mental health challenges. The needs of such children must be considered. There is rightly much discussion of improving the mental health of our young people. However, surely not ensuring that a parent is notified when a child under the age of 16 is accessing abortion means that parents may be in the dark about what is going on with their child and will not be sufficiently equipped to help her.