Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to begin by honouring the Smith family and thanking them for their tireless work. I hope that Baby Stephen is the first to be registered. I believe that should happen. He can lead the way for so many other babies who need to be recognised. I am thankful to the Leader for allowing me to be a co-sponsor of the Bill. A certificate of life is an extremely important thing for people who have experienced loss. From the moment the two lines appear on a pregnancy test, a lifetime is lived with that baby. Walks in the park are imagined. There is discussion of schools that will be attended. Names are speculated about. There are considerations of sharing the news with wider family. That couple, the family and the mother go through that whole experience. It is very important that that life is recognised by the State, because when that life is no more, the loss is great. We are seven years on and Baby Stephen is as much a part of the Smith family today as he was then.

I am 14 years on from my first miscarriage. On 29 December every year, we go to the grave of my grandparents because I do not have anywhere else to go. There is no other place where my first baby can be remembered. We lay a wreath and remember, as a family, the lifetime that was lived in that period of time our baby was due and was a member of our family, and continues to be a member of our family. Today is a very significant day. It is a real honour to be part of it. I thank the Smith family for all of the work they have done and for all of the recognition they are going to bring for themselves, for Stephen and for all of the other families in this country who deserve the recognition of their grieving and their loss.