Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 11:

In page 15, line 17, to delete “desirable” and substitute “mandatory”.

This is the amendment that relates to the interaction between the operator of a donation facility and a gamete donor whose gamete shall be used. The operator should inform the donor that instead of it being desirable that it keep updated information on the register, it would be mandatory to do so. This goes to the heart of the issue of how seriously the Government takes a child's rights in this scenario. Everywhere in the Bill we see regulations being made on clinics. The requirements are actually very weak. The sanctions are also either very weak or non-existent in the event of a failure. This is just another example; in this case, it is merely desirable, not mandatory, to keep updated information on the donor on the register. If we were to look at this issue through the lens of the child and his or her right to his or her identity, we would not be talking about it being desirable to keep updated information on the register on the person providing the gametes; rather, we would be talking about it being mandatory to do so and would be much more prescriptive in our approach to clinics.