Give girls of 11 morning after pill, says Harney
The Tánaiste said there was evidence to show girls in the 11 to 14-year-old age group were sexually active and regularly seeking emergency contraception, adding that the pill should be administered when needed.
Her comments came as the annual report from the Crisis Pregnancy Agency revealed the age when young people were first having full sexual intercourse was falling.
The report also found that 53 babies were born to under 15-year-olds in 2004 and that 2,560 teenagers gave birth last year.
At the launch of the report for 2004, Ms Harney said the reality of the lifestyle of some young people must be addressed.
"I think we have to deal with the reality and the consequences of that and we have to make sure that if the morning after pill is required that it is available to somebody in that age group. Clearly their parents have to be involved if they are underage," she said.
Irish GPs can prescribe to an underage person without parental consent if they make a determination that the patient is mature enough.
However, Dr Illona Duffy said the area is a minefield. "A female GP in any big town in Ireland is getting an average of one request per month from 14 and 15-year-olds for the morning after pill or contraception. These girls do not have parental consent and this is a minefield for GPs," said the Monaghan doctor.
The National Congress of Catholic Secondary Parents' Association said it was shocking that children as young as 11 are sexually active and getting pregnant.
Spokeswoman Barbara Johnson said the issue needed to be addressed with better parental support.
"A lot of parents are not parenting" she said, adding the minister's comments acknowledged the reality. "We need to knuckle down and face reality. Children are losing their childhood."
Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency said a number of pharmacies in Dublin are refusing to sell condoms or the contraceptive pill.
Speaking at the publication of the report, Olive Braiden said she was disappointed that some pharmacists were refusing to sell contraceptives because they were opposed to their use.
She called for studies to be carried out to see if other pharmacists were adopting a similar policy in other parts of the country.
The annual report showed the agency provided €3.8 million to more than 60 supported organisations and projects in 2004 the funding included €1.2m in core crisis pregnancy counselling grants.
The report showed the agency also developed more resources for parents to educate their children on issues such as sexuality and relationships.
The DVD/videotape and booklet You Can Talk To Me was launched to assist parents in communicating with the children on these issues.
