Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to make two points. The first is that in terms of what we want to amend, we have talked about surrogacy looking into the future, but there is also an issue about retrospective recognition, and parental recognition in respect of surrogacy arrangements undertaken prior to this Bill. That is something we have to do. I want that brought in, if at all possible, through Committee Stage amendments. There are children and parents out there today to whom we will, and must, provide that certainty around parentage. This is going to be a mechanism to do so. On the point the Deputy raised in respect of the AHR professionals group, it submitted a position paper setting out 12 recommendations. My officials have been meeting with them. Where there is agreement, we will also draft some substantial Committee Stage amendments to the AHR Bill, besides the surrogacy bit, to that end.

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