Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for being so open and prepared to speak. It is a courageous thing to share one's own story, particularly where we are trying to navigate a way through a legislative quagmire. Hearing from the witnesses about their experiences has been helpful.

The purpose of this committee is to discuss international surrogacy. In many instances, the surrogate mother does not live in the same country as the parents and child. A second difference to the situation of the three witnesses is that international surrogacy is much more likely to be gestational surrogacy as opposed to traditional surrogacy, in that the egg gamete will be that of the intending mother or a donor. I will bear this in mind as I ask my questions.

The experience of identity is something that would be useful for us to hear - the witnesses' experiences at school, how they describe themselves and how the latter has worked out. We are driven towards ensuring that there is disclosure for the child from the moment of birth. Ms Rowley-Smith has a different experience of that. Is there anything she would like to share on this matter?

The witnesses, in particular Ms Roberts, alluded to the issue of birth certificates. The witnesses have a commonality in having to ensure that their surrogate or birth mothers were somewhere reflected in their legal identify documents in light of the right to privacy. I would appreciate responses on this point.

The witnesses also spoke about the long process their parents went through to get their parental orders and the ambiguity and stresses involved. We are anxious to avoid that, so the witnesses might explore that issue.