The Tanaiste has acknowledged the host of thorny issues impacting the rights of women and children that would occur if the State were to facilitate a regime of international commercial surrogacy.

In reply to questions in the Dail, Leo Varadkar said legislation on assisted human reproduction and international surrogacy is long overdue. However, he added that there are “complex legal and ethical questions that arise in respect of for-profit surrogacy services, children being moved from other countries to this country and the right to know who one’s biological parents are”.

“There are many very complicated ethical issues that have to be resolved, particularly in the context of our difficult history in respect of adoption and women giving up their children and so on”, he said.

The Tanaiste said there has been substantial work done on the issue since the formation of the Government, and in the coming weeks a memorandum will be brought to Cabinet on how to consider the issues and introduce any legislative change.

“It will propose the establishment of a time-limited special joint Oireachtas committee to consider the issue, including the issues arising from commercial international surrogacy, and to report with recommendations”, he said.

https://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2021-11-02a.53&s=surrogacy#g82