Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank both witnesses for appearing before the committee and for their ongoing work in this area and the submission they made. Are there any concerns about a lack of rights for the surrogate in terms of the parental switch? We have just had a big referendum on bodily autonomy for women. If I understand the proposal correctly, at some point before birth, whether during the pregnancy or before it, a court order will be made to the effect that from the moment of birth the two parents, neither of whom is bearing the child, are the legal parents of the child. The corollary is that the woman giving birth loses any of those rights ahead of time. Are there any issues of bodily autonomy for the woman bearing the child during the pregnancy? Might a woman give birth and then want to change her mind in terms of giving up the child? How are those two issues being considered in terms of court orders being in place ahead of birth?