Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To come into Cabinet and take on the gauntlet of the health ministry is a daunting challenge at any time, but it is particularly daunting to come into that role at the height of a pandemic. It has been no joke. I say "Well done" to the Minister. We are where we are largely due to courageous decisions that have been made.

The roll-out and uptake of the vaccine have been fantastic. I look forward to the next phase, encouraging the last section of the population to take it, and its possible extension to younger groups. On a personal level, I believe in taking on the responsibility of vaccine justice. My family has donated elsewhere the cost of vaccines as we have benefited from the wealth of this country and its being able to provide us with the vaccine. I encourage others to do likewise and I ask the Minister to be active at governmental level in ensuring that is given consideration. We are not safe until we are all safe. That is important.

I welcome that the extension of the powers is a restricted extension. It is good to have that caution in respect of the necessity for an extension of these restrictions and powers. I trust and believe that the Government and the Minister will be responsible in their administration. However - there is always a "however" - I refer to the issues being experienced by certain women, men and families. I know the Minister has done everything he can in that regard, but I ask him to consider whether more can be done to hear their experiences. We have met them in virtual meetings in recent weeks. To hear their stories is horrific. It is hard to believe that in 2021 women are going through pregnancy loss, and then the whole experience of birth, alone. In the context of pregnancy loss, I refer to those moments where a woman is going in to a scan that may reveal bad news. There is nothing like the moment when one is told there is no heartbeat. It would be just horrific not to have a partner with one for anything like that.

I refer to couples who were due to go for IVF treatment in time-critical circumstances. The availability of IVF treatment in Ireland is based on the age of the mother. As a result of Covid, in some instances, women seeking IVF treatment have gone past the required age through no fault of their own without being able to access the treatment. We need to look at that as a hangover from, and a consequence of, Covid. It means that some couples will be denied their opportunity of parenthood through IVF as a consequence of Covid. Something needs to be done. We need flexibility such that the availability of treatment is based on ability to conceive or receive an embryo, rather than the age of the mother, because some women get pregnant at older ages. We need to consider that.

The Minister cannot come to the House without me raising my next issue. He knows the drum I am going to beat, which is that we need progress on the legislation relating to surrogacy and assisted human reproduction. At present, international surrogacy is excluded. There is a need for it to be included and for issues relating to dealing with children who are born here and Irish citizens and growing up to be dealt with retrospectively. The lack of legislation has caused real delays and problems. I know the Minister is meeting groups and there is action afoot, but I ask him to really put his influence behind this. We are mammies. We are the only mammies our children have ever known. We have the right for them to have a lifelong legal relationship with us, rather than one that expires when they reach the age of 18. It is horrific to think that in order for my child to inherit from me, I am reliant on a barrister giving a legal opinion that I was in loco parentisfor all of her life. I should have the right to be named as her mother legally.I was there before she was born and all the way through it. That is a very important thing for us to do. When we look outside, we see mothers being judged in the consequence of the their age, IVF and surrogacy. It is said that this is no country for old men. There appears to be no country for women. Very strong action needs to be taken in that regard.