Seanad debates

Thursday, 26 March 2015

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Committee Stage

 

10:30 am

Photo of Averil PowerAveril Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As has been mentioned, we have assisted human reproduction, AHR, including donor-assisted human reproduction, DAHR. It is not regulated. I have concerns about DAHR in particular. I have tabled amendments on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group to ensure greater rights to identity for people conceived through that process, to try to improve the Bill as much as possible and to address the issues. By voting down the legislation, all that the Senators will achieve is to have no regulation of assisted or donor-assisted human reproduction. I do not see how that will address their concerns. Opposing every section of the Bill as some amendments do will have the same effect. Yes, try to improve it. I will engage in that process because I have an open mind on many of the issues. Senators van Turnhout and Healy Eames and I co-sponsored a Bill on adoption. Identity is an important issue for me. It is critical that we get these matters right. I urge colleagues not to try to ignore the social realities of life and pretend that these kids do not exist. There are children born through AHR who do not know what is their legal situation. The House has a long-overdue responsibility to correct that. Senators cannot ignore this fact because they disapprove on the grounds that it does not fit with their social view. Those kids exist and deserve rights and legal clarity. It is important that we do this job properly.

I ask Senators to engage genuinely with the spirit of the Bill instead of rejecting all of it. That is my only concern when I ask them to stick to the amendments. I want us to have enough time to go through the Bill in its entirety. We have been debating it for nearly an hour and a half, but we are still on the first set of amendments. I will be brief and conclude because I want us to get through the amendments. This is not meant to disrespect anyone's opinions. I want to hear those.

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