Professor Deirdre Madden:

-----they started when the children were very young. The children are now in adolescence and do not demonstrate any negative effects thus far. However, we must continue. I echo Professor Hayes's point about the necessity to have ongoing research in longitudinal studies to make sure that this remains the case.

The last point mentioned by the Deputy was about exploitation. The issue that arises regarding exploitation, which we are rightly concerned about, is the potential for vulnerable women in poorer socio-economic climates to be used and exploited in this way. There are two responses to that. The first is that people go abroad to these jurisdictions to avail of surrogacy because the legal regimes there are more favourable to them and give them clearer legal rights to their children. That is probably the primary reason they go abroad. They do not wish to go through the stress of litigation in their own jurisdiction. In light of that, the preferable approach to avoid exploitation would be to put surrogacy on a proper footing here so there is no incentive for people to go abroad. If it is regulated properly here with proper safeguards, screening, counselling, informed consent and the like, there would be no need for Irish people to go abroad.

Obviously, the potential for exploitation will remain. The Hague Convention is currently considering the possibility of putting an international convention in place to reduce the possibility of exploitation in places such as India, Nepal and Mexico but we are not yet at the point of having an international convention. However, that is possibly the only way we will be able to avoid exploitation on a global scale in the future. As to why people go abroad, it is because they want the security of knowing-----