Health (Family Planning) Act, 1979

Family planning services.

3.—(1) For the purposes of section 2 of this Act, the Minister may, without prejudice to the generality of that section, provide by regulations for the purposes of this subsection for the making available by a health board in accordance with the regulations of a family planning service.

(2) A person other than a health board may make available a family planning service for the provision of information, instruction, advice and consultation in relation to methods of family planning that do not involve the use of contraceptives.

(3) (a) A person other than a health board may, with the consent of the Minister and in accordance with regulations for the purposes of this subsection, make available a family planning service, not being exclusively a family planning service such as is referred to in subsection (2).

(b) The Minister shall not give his consent to the making available of a family planning service under this subsection unless he is satisfied that it is in the public interest to give it and that the service is reasonably required to meet a particular need.

(4) Information, instruction, advice or consultation in relation to the use of contraceptives shall not be provided in a family planning service under this section except under the general direction and supervision of a registered medical practitioner.

(5) A health board or other person making available a family planning service under subsection (1) or (3), as the case may be, of this section shall ensure that the service includes information, instruction, advice and consultation in relation to methods of family planning that do not involve the use of contraceptives.

(6) A family planning service shall not be made available except in accordance with the provisions of this section but this subsection shall not be construed as restricting the discretion of a registered medical practitioner in his clinical relations with a patient or of a pharmaceutical chemist in relation to the provision of information, instruction or advice to a person to whom he is selling contraceptives in accordance with this Act.

(7) A person who contravenes this section, or regulations for the purposes of this section, shall be guilty of an offence.