Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to speak on this matter which is of such sensitivity and importance. There is a special onus on the State, given its history on the treatment of women and their babies. We must learn from our history and get things right for the children in order that their rights as citizens are guaranteed. Those of us who have children know what a blessing they are. I hope my children will not mind my saying that they are the loves of my life. However, many of us know the agony and heartbreak of couples who are trying to have babies through IVF. Many of us will have experienced infertility in our extended families. I have seen the weight and the hold of the process physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. That is why, with the opportunity presented in this Bill, as legislators we have the duty to support them. We should do so immediately by making IVF affordable on the public health system and not confined to the private system. We should make every effort to assist people who are trying to start a family and rear the next generation. I want to take the opportunity to wish Deputy Paul Murphy and his partner every good wish in their desire to start a family.

Sinn Féin welcomes the Bill in principle. For the first time there is a specific regulatory framework for all assisted reproduction treatments and associated research. However, there are two omissions. The first concerns international surrogacy arrangements. There is much in the news around Ukraine now and that matter is being dealt with by a special committee. This is vital when there is so much uncertainty about babies born, their legal parentage and citizenship, all against the backdrop of Putin's war. They cannot and must not be left in legal limbo or stateless. It would be a grave wrong to these children who have barely spent a few weeks in the world. We also have a duty of care to the women who are carrying these much-wanted children. Second, there is the retrospective recognition of parentage. We also have a duty to ensure that the child and each of their parents, where there is more than one, have full rights. This is particularly important in the event of the death of a parent with guardianship rights where the other parent may not have completed the legal process of becoming a parent-guardian of the child. We must make every effort to protect and solidify the family arrangement and give the people involved the security and peace of mind that they need.

I started by saying that we have a particular onus on us here because of our history on the treatment of women and their children. I am concerned about profiteering around surrogacy and the protection of the women carrying the children. We must tread carefully. Thinking of what happened with the mother and babies and the debates that we had around abortion, we cannot make mistakes again. We must be very careful.

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