The Irish Family Planning Association has called for clarification on the law on access to emergency contraception for girls under 16 years.
Last week it emerged that there had been a significant increase in the number of family doctors seeking legal advice on what to do when under-age girls come to them looking for the morning-after pill.
People under 16 years do not have the power to consent to medical treatment and must get that consent from a parent or guardian. GPs have expressed concern about being placed in a predicament where they are being asked for emergency contraception by a girl under the age of consent for sexual intercourse.
A spokeswoman for the Irish Family Planning Association said there was “considerable confusion” among young people and the medical profession about the issue.
“However, it should be borne in mind that emergency contraception is by its very nature an emergency and medical consent is usually waived in such situations by doctors or health service providers,” she said.
The recent Irish Medical Organisation conference heard from Dublin-based solicitor John O’Connor who advised doctors to try to obtain parental consent with the agreement of the child and to record the effort made to get such consent. However, if parental consent could not be obtained, Mr O’Connor said a doctor could prescribe the morning-after pill if the doctor felt the girl fully understood the nature and effect of the treatment.
Meanwhile, access to the morning-after pill for teenagers has been made easier in the US, following a decision by the Food and Drinks Administration to allow 17 year olds to buy the “Plan B” morning-after pill over the counter.
Previously the pill – which prevents pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex – was available without prescription only to those aged 18 and over.