Latest news with #AssistedHumanReproductionAct
Irish Independent
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Sarah Carey: Why problems with Ireland's proposed surrogacy laws are not going away
Last July, the Assisted Human Reproduction Act was passed by the Oireachtas. It aimed to legalise international surrogacy. I have consistently argued that since other EU member states haven't been able to legislate away the ethical issues around international surrogacy, Ireland could not, and should not, try. I wasn't the only one who objected to the act.
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Infertility support group calls for legislation to be enacted to allow for publicly funded IVF scheme
A support and information group for people going through infertility says it is 'anxious' to see progress on implementing legislation on assisted human reproduction. It comes as moves are under way to appoint board members to the new assisted human reproduction regulatory authority being established under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act signed into law last July. In response to a parliamentary question on May 1, health minister Jennifer Carroll-McNeill said she could not 'give a definitive timeline for the commencement of the legislation at this time'. As well as establishing the authority, the legislation covers both domestic and international surrogacy. It will ensure surrogacy is standardised and has oversight enforcing strict statutory provisions regarding gamete and embryo storage, research and testing. It will also incorporate regulation for pre-implantation genetic testing of embryos; posthumous assisted human reproduction in the private system; and embryo and stem cell research. The Department of Health advertised last month for membership of the regulatory authority's board. Caitríona Fitzpatrick of the National Infertility Support and Information Group said: 'There was a number of commitments made in the budget last year around the expansion of the publicly-funded IVF scheme and they have not taken place yet. "So that is the first thing we are looking to see some progress on and they would have been announced to take place in 2025. We are now nearly six months into 2025 and we are not any closer to knowing when that is going to happen. A lot of that would be around donor conception being part of the publicly funded IVF scheme and our understanding is that some of that is premised on the legislation being commenced. She said while the establishment of the authority was now under way, 'there will be another number of steps around funding, staffing and structures, so that, I would assume, will take until the end of this year'. Ms Fitzpatrick said progress had always been slow in the area of assisted human reproduction, however. 'The first time that legislation was mooted in that area was 2005 so it is now 20 years later. There was certainly a sigh of relief that the legislation was completed in the last government because the legislation was originally drafted in 2017, then it was redrafted again after the surrogacy committee took place so there was a lot of steps involved in getting that legislation over the line in 2024,' she said. 'Progress in this area was always very slow. If you look at the first committee that ever looked at this was in 2000 and they reported in 2005 and then it took 20 years for legislation to come about.' She welcomed the inclusion of assisted human reproduction in party election manifestos as well as in the programme for government, showing a will to tackle the area. While acknowledging it is a complicated area with a lot of elements to be included, Ms Fitzpatrick said: 'We are really keen to see the publicly-funded scheme broadened outside of the legislation.' Read More Cork students campaign to break stigma around miscarriage and infertility in schools
Irish Examiner
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Same-sex couples feel they are 'bottom of the agenda' for health minister
The health minister has insisted she is committed to meeting same-sex parents to address issues around surrogacy, despite having been accused of "disregarding" the LGBT+ community. A number of pieces of legislation have been introduced — including last year's Assisted Human Reproduction Act and the 2015 Children and Family Relationships Act — but same-sex couples have, over the years, campaigned for changes to those laws as many circumstances are not covered, leading to only one parent being legally recognised. Amending legislation to the former is listed in the Government's summer legislative programme as a priority, specifically attempting to "address issues related to parentage and citizenship arising from the use of fertility clinics abroad by Irish residents and Irish citizens living abroad". Campaign groups have been requesting a meeting with Jennifer Carroll MacNeill since her appointment in January, but said they were disappointed this week that while they have not yet received a date, a meeting with a group which represents heterosexual couples will meet the minister this week. Equality of Children CEO Ranae von Meding told the Irish Examiner the current laws mean that while she and her wife are legally recognised as parents to her two daughters, only she is listed as a parent to their son because of where the fertility clinic they used for his birth was based. She said it is imperative that the minister hear from those most affected by the laws. "We've been doing all the things we're supposed to do — we've gone through the official channels, we're ready and willing to cooperate. Three well-thought-of organisations are seeking a meeting with a minister on something that disproportionately affects LGBT+ people. But we haven't received any acknowledgement so it feels like we're at the bottom of the agenda. "We found out last week that she was replying to people and saying that she was meeting a group which only deals with heterosexual couples. To hear that they are having a meeting and that there has only been allusions to meeting us without responding to our completely disingenuous." Irish Gay Dads vice president Mark O'Looney, says he feels the LGBT+ community has been "disregarded". Mr O'Looney and his husband live in America, where both are recognised as parents, but the current laws mean that if they were to return to Ireland, one would lose their legal protections as parent as their daughters would need to undergo a genetic test, a test not required of straight couples. "The minister has totally disregarded the queer community in this. I know that they are telling us there's a meeting coming, but unless it's on the diary, I won't believe it. "It's been a year since the AHR bill was enacted and there's no amending legislation or plan in place and we've had zero interaction with this minister. They need to engage with us now or we risk not having a voice in legislation that's supposed to pass this summer. "If you're not hearing our voices, how can we tell you about what's happening?" A spokesperson for Ms Carroll MacNeill said she will meet with the groups in the coming weeks. "The Minister is keen to meet with as many stakeholders as possible on policy matters pertaining to her department," they said. "Formal drafting of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) (Amendment) Bill is well advanced – it is on the priority list for publication during the summer legislative term.'
