Deeside MP to raise in Parliament baby & toddler ear piercing as petition gathers 35000 names

News and Info from Deeside, Flintshire, North Wales

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jun 11th, 2015

Mark Tami MP is raising in Parliament the need to discuss the age at which parents can get their children’s ears pierced.

Ministers will be asked to consider a ban on parents having the ears of their young children and babies pierced, because they are unable to give consent.

The Alyn & Deeside MP first raised this topic in 2013 through a written question which stated that there was no statutory minimum age of consent for ear or body piercings.

Mark Tami MP said,

“I would like this issue to be discussed in Parliament, children and babies obviously have no opportunity to consent to having this done.”

“I think it is important that we have the discussion of what is an appropriate age for children to have their ears pierced.”

“If we allowed parents to do other things to their children’s faces, like tattooing, that would be appalling, but although piercings can heal, they can still cause distorting affects on the ear, in the skin and muscle,”

A petition on the 38 Degrees website has now gathered 35,000 signatures, it was started by Susan Ingram, a mother who wants to make it illegal for babies and toddlers to get their ears pierced and to set a minimum legal age requirement.

She says on her petition page;

“It is a form of child cruelty. Severe pain and fear is inflicted upon infants unnecessarily. It serves no purpose other than to satisfy the parent’s vanity. Other forms of physically harming children are illegal- this should be no different.”

Adding a comment to the petition page Claire M.said;

“smacking a child is abuse, so how come sticking metal rods through their ears is not abuse??!!”

While Catherine H. said;

“Stop parents inflicting unnecessary pain on a child. Claire Accessories are one of the worst offenders for piercing babies and toddlers ears. Make it illegal Please”

Not everyone agrees Pat Cully said;

“My goodness, one of the stupidest petitions I have ever seen. In South America all baby girls have their ears pierced as soon as they are born, always in the hospital and by a nurse. I wonder how many have died or have suffered mental health problems as a result?”

While Dana C commented:

“As someone who had their ears pierced as a baby (a month old), I find this campaign absolutely and utterly pointless. I am pleased that my parents got it done for me when I was a child and I have no regrets that they did.

And as someone who doesn’t like needles (but ironically, loves piercings) it was beneficial for me to get it done at a time I would not even recall in the future.

Ear piercings on a child are not abuse, contrary to the claims being made on here (come on! Abuse is harmful infliction of pain, stop using the term so lightly.)

Ear piercings are minutely painful and the baby will forget it. They also heal a lot better for young children than they do when they are older, and more “mature” to make this decision.”