International Surrogacy Should Be Permitted Under Irish law, Committee Recommends

The Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy has been examining the issue for the past three months

International surrogacy arrangements should be permitted under Irish law, according to recommendations from a special Oireachtas committee.

Both parents of a child born through an international surrogacy agreement should be legally recognised as parents.

These are among 32 recommendations made by the Committee on International Surrogacy, who have published their report on the issue today.

It recommends that the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill, which is currently before the Oireachtas, is the most appropriate legislation to deal with international surrogacy as it has the most appropriate legislative framework in place.

The committee is also seeking the establishment of a National Surrogacy Register for children to be able to access their own information when they reach 12 years of age.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore as Chair of the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy officially launched its Report.

The Committee was established on a three-month temporary basis to make recommendations to the Minister for Health on the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill.

Deputy Whitmore commented: “As members, we have been compassionate, fair and evidence-based on the issue of international surrogacy having particular regard to the rights, interests and welfare of children born through surrogacy (both in the future, and existing children), of surrogates and intending parents.

“The Committee met over several weeks and engaged extensively with academics, legal experts and stakeholders from various organisations, nationally and internationally.

“I believe the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly must now take on board our recommendations and incorporate them in the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2022 (AHR Bill) currently going through the Dáil.

"This will provide Ireland with an opportunity to bridge the gap in our laws and which has long been a cause of concern to international human rights bodies and to the Irish Supreme Court," she added.

Former Miss World Rosanna Davison had her child Sophia through a surrogate in 2019, she said it's an historic day for families like hers.

"With this set of recommendations it paves the way for other couples to be able to pursue surrogacy and not face the challenges that we have faced.

"It's huge, it's historic, and it's been years of hard work and hard campaigning, people never giving up hope.

"It's everything, as campaigners, that we wanted to hear today," Ms. Davison added.