Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 9:

In page 56, line 32, to delete “two years” and substitute “five years”.

This is to substitute “two years” with “five years”. We want to do this in light of the recent influx because of the war in Ukraine. Ukraine is probably the largest market in the world for surrogacy at this moment in time, which is why we have asked for this to be extended to five years. In committee, I wanted to bring in a number of witnesses but that was not possible for a number of reasons. One of those was Mykola Kuleba, who was Ukraine's commissioner of the President of Ukraine on the rights of the child. Basically, he has huge concerns with commercial surrogacy and has stated in a document that: "Ukraine has become a supermarket for surrogacy. The child is already becoming a commodity, but a woman is an incubator that has to carry this product for someone." These are the words he used. He continued:

If during the pregnancy, the clients decide that they no longer want the child, the surrogate must have an abortion. If she doesn't, all the funds must be returned. If she gives birth to the child and customers don't want to take it away, she has to give the child to an orphanage, because she has no rights to it.

These were the words that this child commissioner in Ukraine used in relation to surrogacy. I am concerned because obviously many of people who have come from Ukraine over the last couple of years are women, so I would like to extend this legislation to five years rather than two.