Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is a topic I really was not very familiar with at all. I thank everyone for sharing their experiences. Each one of them has made me think about the challenges they face. This can be a very contentious issue and it evokes very strong emotional reactions. The idea of a woman undergoing pregnancy to give birth to somebody else's child challenges all our traditional notions of what being a mother is and what motherhood and parenthood are. It has emotional and ethical challenges for us all.

I have a couple of questions, some having been answered already, on jurisdictions that would be an ideal model. Ms Merrigan, I think, mentioned the UK, New York, whose bill of rights I will look up, and Greece. What violations might children born through surrogacy face if international surrogacy is not regulated? What age do the witnesses think is suitable? Do the witnesses wish for the legal guardianship to continue past the age of 18 years? Would they want to see that go to 21 or 23 years? Is there a specific age to which they would increase that?