Teens should have greater powers of medical consent: Commission

The Law Reform Commission is calling on the Government to clarify the law on teenagers' ability to consent to medical treatment.

The Commission says that 16- and 17-year-olds - and in some cases teens as young as 14 - should be able to consent to or refuse treatment.

Teens will not be able to refuse life-saving treatment in general, although the Commission will be asking the High Court to rule on whether a 16-year-old can refuse treatment if his or her life is under threat.

Commissioner with the Commission Patricia Rickard Clarke said the law on teens consenting to treatment had to be clearer because, at present, the only law covering it is criminal law.