International Surrogacy Should be include in the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill Ireland
International Surrogacy Should be include in the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill Ireland
Why this petition matters
Surrogacy is a complex and difficult journey for any intending parent to undertake, and parents must have legislation and protection from the Irish government so that they can undertake this journey.
Last Week the Irish Government’s special rapporteur for children, Prof. Conor O’Mahony addressed the special committee on International Surrogacy. He told them that in its current form, the proposed AHR bill will be contrary to children’s rights.
He said it “only addresses domestic surrogacy arrangements, and makes no provision whatsoever for a legal framework for addressing international surrogacy arrangements. Even if domestic surrogacy is regulated, there will always be families who will opt for international arrangements, whether due to the availability of surrogate mothers or other issues.
The approach proposed in the Bill amounts to keeping our head in the sand”.
He said there is a choice ahead to either allow the current situation to continue without regulation or on the other hand to “grasp the nettle.”
He has recommended that for international surrogacy arrangements, the intending parents should be allowed to apply to the High Court for parentage and parental responsibility, as well as a grant of nationality and citizenship to the child, if certain criteria are met.
It is disappointing to read the comments made by government officials who seem to want to push through the AHR Bill without the inclusion of international surrogacy claiming that it would be better for everyone to separate it from the rest of legislation.
We believe they are wrong and agree with Prof. O Mahony that it would be a devastating blow to families formed through surrogacy, should this happen.
The current bill as it stands would legislate for theoretical children, and would totally ignore the hundreds of actual Irish children who are living in limbo without the protection of both of their parents.
It’s not good enough and we should continue to have our voices heard and fight until the government do the right thing.
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The following articles also support our plea.
“The Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy has been told by the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Conor O’Mahony, that the Government should ‘slow down’, given the immense importance of proposed ‘once-in-a-generation’ legislation on assisted human reproduction.”
“No legal framework in place for international surrogacy, committee hears”.