The Government has tasked its special rapporteur on child protection to examine calls to grant additional parental rights to LGBT couples who use surrogacy and third party sperm and eggs to have children.
Third party gametes deliberately break the natural ties and surrogacy is banned in many countries on the grounds that it exploits women and commodifies children.
Minister for Health Simon Harris has signalled his willingness to amend forthcoming legislation on assisted human reproduction, based on UCC law lecturer Conor O’Mahony’s recommendations.
Many same-sex parents will soon be able to register both of their names on their child’s birth certificate, but that change does not cover same-sex couples using surrogacy and certain other arrangements to have children.
That change will come into effect when Sections 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act are commenced on May 5th next.
