Commercial surrogacy is to be facilitated for Irish people travelling abroad, but banned in Ireland, in legislation likely to come before the Cabinet for approval next week. Almost all European countries either ban or do not recognise the practice because they believe it exploits women and commodifies babies.

Two senior government sources confirmed weekend media reports that forthcoming amendments to the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill would effectively allow foreign surrogacy arrangements, where women in other countries are paid to be surrogate mothers for Irish parents who subsequently bring their children home to Ireland, while such commercial arrangements will remain banned in Ireland.

Officials in the Department of Justice had previously advised that it would be “difficult to justify” the “double standard” of permitting commercial surrogacy arrangements abroad while banning them at home.

But an Oireachtas committee pooh-poohed those concerns after hearing that banning commercial arrangements for surrogacy would effectively end the market that is used by hundreds of Irish couples. Its report called for international surrogacy arrangements to be supported.

Now it is understood the Government will bring forward amendments to the Bill which will allow for a system of pre-approval for international surrogacy agreements, and allow the Irish parents to be registered as the child’s parents in Ireland.

It will also allow for parents of existing children born abroad via surrogacy agreements to be recognised in Irish law as the parents.