Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Labour Party Senators. I welcome the opportunity to endorse the introduction of statutory leave to support the experience of miscarriage and reproductive health. I believe that this leave will be provided for during the tenure of this Government as it is the next logical provision to build on what has been an evolving framework for family supports, under my own party in government for the last ten years.

In the devastation of pregnancy loss, especially early pregnancy, couples need time off together. Both the mother who experiences physical and emotional loss and her partner who experiences emotional loss need to be able to support each other as they mourn.

A couple entering into IVF treatment should also be able to spend time in the physical and emotional head and heart space away from the concerns of normal life. I have been there 13 times - 12 personally and one via surrogacy. It is an exciting, frightening and emotional rollercoaster and, in that place, I have experienced five miscarriages and the joy of the birth of our daughter via surrogacy.

I am grateful for the great strides that the Government is making in moving forward with the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill and its surrogacy provision. I am pleased that that Bill when published will reflect what is possible and will legislate ethically for surrogacy in a manner that reflects the lived experience of couples in this country with a retrospective provision for those children whose mothers, like me, are not currently recognised in the State as such. I welcome that the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, the Minister for Health, and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth have set up an interdepartmental group that will collaborate with people from the assisted human reproduction collaborative group.

I completely support the right to leave for fertility treatment. The discussions here this evening have been very good and, quite rightly, move away from the idea of shame and stigma. However, I caution against any presumptions being made about how couples should deal with their IVF journey. Through my own experience, and that of couples with whom I have worked, I know that couples differ in how they wish to speak about their fertility journey.Some choose to be public and others choose to be private, generally born out of their own fears or confidence in their coping mechanisms. They are fearful of their IVF journey not resulting in success. Opening up their journey brings with it the possibility of commentary from others or the dismissal of their journey by others, as well as the hopes and expectations of others, such as grandparents waiting for a child. In my own experience, in people trying to mind me, I was excluded from children's birthday parties and thus I never had the opportunity to attend and have a glass of wine. In thinking they were minding me, people excluded me, which made the pain of the journey all the worse. We need to be careful not to force a position where everything has to be out in the open. In creating a provision and entitlement, we need to be mindful and sensitive to that. How a couple decides to deal with it needs to be respected.

I welcome this provision and I welcome the research to be undertaken by the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, which I think is necessary. I am grateful to this House for the debate.