Ireland Votes to Allow Girls Under 16 to Have Abortions Without Parental Consent

International   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Dec 5, 2018   |   6:40PM   |   Dublin, Ireland

Young girls may be able to get free, taxpayer-funded abortions without a parent’s consent in Ireland after parliament rejected an amendment to a pro-abortion bill Wednesday.

Ireland is on its way to adopting one of the most radical pro-abortion laws in the world after it repealed its pro-life Eighth Amendment in May.

This week, the Dáil is debating a bill to legalize abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to six months in a wide variety of circumstances. It would force taxpayers to pay for abortions and force Catholic hospitals to provide them. The bill also strictly limits conscience protections for medical professionals.

RTE reports the Dáil voted Wednesday against an amendment to require parental consent for girls under 16 who want abortions. The move came after TDs rejected similar amendments to ban sex-selection abortions and taxpayer-funded abortions and to require basic medical care for infants born alive after botched abortions.

TDs voted 69 to 21 against the parental consent amendment.

Here’s more from the report:

The Independent Deputy Michael Collins said people can’t join the army, make a contract, get teeth whitened, or use a sunbed under 18 without consent.

He questioned why a daughter should be allowed to end the life of “your grandchild, maybe under 18 without you knowing”.

It was noted by the Fianna Fáil Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív that the Minister had already pointed out that parental notification exists in the medical guidelines.

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He suggested that if elected representatives were against the idea of notification guidelines, they should campaign to take it out of the Medical Council guidelines.

Abortion politics are nearing a boiling point in Ireland as parliament nears a final vote on the bill. Hundreds of doctors, nurses and midwives said pro-abortion political leaders have repeatedly ignored their concerns, and they fear losing their jobs or being forced to help abort unborn babies.

Government leaders want medical staff to be ready to begin aborting unborn babies Jan. 1, 2019, but the medical community says it is not ready.

Earlier this week, dozens of doctors stormed out of an emergency meeting about the abortion legislation. They said political leaders have been ramming through the bill without consulting the medical community or giving it ample time to prepare.

Meanwhile, the Irish Times reports government leaders admitted this week that ethical guidelines for doctors on abortion will not be ready by Jan. 1.

Some pro-life TDs have said the legislation is much more extreme than what voters wanted when they chose to repeal the pro-life Eighth Amendment in May.

An October poll by Amárach found that 60 percent of Irish residents oppose taxpayer-funded abortions. In addition, a full 80 percent say health care workers should not be forced to carry out abortions against their conscience.

Last week, TDs rejected a series of amendments that would have provided at least some protections for unborn babies, including a ban on sex-selection abortions and abortions on unborn babies with Down syndrome, as well as a ban on taxpayer-funded abortions.

The bill also would force Catholic hospitals and pregnancy centers to promote or provide abortions against their consciences as well. In September, Health Minister Simon Harris confirmed that Catholic hospitals will be forced to abort unborn babies, saying, “… conscientious objection is for individuals, not institutions.”