Parents of children born through surrogacy are calling for a guarantee that new legislation will solidify them as the legal mother or father of their child.
They held a demonstration outside Leinster House this morning.
Parents expressed concerns over the new Assisted Human Reproduction Bill .
"At that moment when I was presenting their children to their family, I was no longer recognised as their mother," one woman said.
Mams and dads of kids born through international surrogacy says it’s ridiculous a new bill won’t recognise them as legal parents.
Under current Irish law only biological dads can be deemed a legal father while their partner must wait 2 years before applying to be a guardian pic.twitter.com/AJsAGcrsOs— Mairéad Cleary (@maireadcleary7) November 2, 2021
Each demonstrator here has their own story of how they became a parent.
Senator Mary Seery Kearney, who had her child Scarlett through a surrogate mother.
So she is among those calling for guarantees in this new bill:
"We should create a green list of countries where surrogacy is safe."
"Not everyone has a sister or a friend who is willing or able to carry their child."
Great to at last meet in person with @IrishFamiliesTS & @equalchildren Gov has committed to dealing with international surrogacy - the 3 Ministers @rodericogorman, @DonnellyStephen and @helenmcentee will be bringing proposals to Cabinet in the coming weeks. #EqualityforAll pic.twitter.com/vVtZRW5LHT
— Senator Mary Seery Kearney 🇮🇪🇺🇦 (@SeeryKearney) November 2, 2021
Currently, just biological fathers can be recognised as a parent in Ireland.
However, their partners must wait 2 years before applying to be a legal guardian of their child.
An oireachtas committee is being considered to review the bill, the tenth in 21 years.
