A consultant psychiatrist who assessed the girl said that while she was at risk of self harm and suicide as a result of the pregnancy, they thought “this could be managed by treatment” and abortion was “not the solution” to all her problems, the report states. An order was then made for the girl to be sectioned in a psychiatric ward.

Ireland’s abortion ban:

From the moment of conception, terminations are illegal even in cases of rape, incest or ill health of the mother – unless there is a “real and substantial risk to the mother's life, as distinct from the health of the mother”

A court guardian arguing for the pregnant girl’s release requested a second psychiatrist assess her. They said she had “very strong views” as to why she wanted an abortion and concluded that being depressed did not mean she could be detained under the Mental Health Act.

The child was released after several days of being detained when a district court ruled that she "no longer had a mental health disorder."

Girl sectioned after asking for an abortion in Ireland