John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to echo Senator Keane's comments. One of the saddest things I deal with in my day job other than the obvious health consequences of cancer in terms of mortality and morbidity is the possibility of premature infertility. I have seen over the years a large number of patients who, because they were diagnosed with curable cancers that required treatments which would compromise their fertility before they had children or during their reproductive years, had the opportunity for parenthood taken from them in the awful trade-off or decision some have to make about whether they will take a treatment that might cure them even though it means that they may be left with this problem. One of the little triumphs we live for is when we see people who have had that news come back to us later with children, often children who have been born as a result of assisted reproductive technologies of various kinds, which I do not need to go into in the Chamber, but also as a result sometimes of technologies which involve one or other of the forms of surrogacy.

I have seen many families where a family member who has been confronted with the prospect of possible early death and likely infertility comes back three or four years later if they have been lucky enough to have been cured and have children and I think this is what makes it all worthwhile. Our State should put no impediments whatsoever in the way of as many people as possible achieving that happy outcome and I refer to people who suffer infertility not only as a result of cancer treatment but for other reasons. I echo the comments which have been made. The National Infertility Support and Information Group has called for legal clarity and legislation to regulate this sector. This is consistent with the recommendations made as long ago as 2005 by the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction. Yesterday Geoffrey Shannon, the rapporteur on child protection, referred to the current situation where individual parents are going to the higher courts as a failure of the Oireachtas. Let us not have any more failures of the Oireachtas. It is incumbent on the Government and the Minister to introduce legislation and regulation expeditiously.

Following up on what Senator Norris said, this afternoon we will have an opportunity collectively as a body to make sure that there is not one more failure of the Oireachtas, which has been the failure of this House to seriously countenance the need for reform. That opportunity will be presented vigorously and definitively to the Members of the House this afternoon for their decision today.