Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This has been a really good session of this committee. It has been very emotional. We cannot overstate how important it is to hear from Ms Reid and Ms O'Shea. It is invaluable to us. As the last speaker, I run the risk of repeating what has been said. I really appreciate it. It is really important for the people who are listening in. There is a myth around surrogacy that it is scary. The witnesses have set out the position very clearly, particularly when they say that in terms of birth certificates and processing, they completely regard their sisters as the mothers. They are and that is the reality of it. That is invaluable not for just for us but for anybody who may not understand surrogacy and how it might work.

I am delighted that Ms Cohen has appeared before the committee to outline the Canadian model. I have recently read about it and have looked into it. She mentioned that altruistic surrogacy in Canada is broader than it might be deemed to be. I ask her to explain that a little more. If we were to adopt that kind of process, how might it work? Senator Seery Kearney already asked about people from Canada travelling internationally. That has already been covered. Ms Cohen said they do not do pre-birth registration, but I had understood her to say in her opening statement that there was a two-stage transfer process. I ask her to elaborate on that.

My next question is for Ms Reid and Ms O'Shea. Some really brilliant ladies, who had been born through surrogacy, appeared before the committee a few weeks ago. One of them suggested that everyone's birth certificate should have something on the back pointing to a website for more information. People could then get find out more information online, particularly if there was no family connection to the surrogate. I ask Ms Reid and Ms O'Shea for their thoughts about that or having some sort of register of information. I agree that the names of intended parents should be on the birth certificate in case somebody at a later age wishes to get access to information that they might not necessarily find through family.

The Irish Fertility Counsellors Association does really good work. While it is not undervalued by the people the counsellors see, it may be undervalued by others in society. It can be a very lonely place for those trying to start a family and experiencing infertility. It is something that can be dismissed by many people. There is a mindset whereby people say, "Sure, aren't you lucky?" Irish people have a terrible habit of telling people that it could be worse when something terrible happens. For many people it could not be worse and they do not feel they are very lucky.

At times there seems to be a just get on with it attitude. The service that the witnesses offer is invaluable and we need to promote it more. I assume they do not receive any funding. If that is the case, perhaps that is something this committee could explore in the context of our recommendations.