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Health Minister Stephen Donnelly

Landmark surrogacy legislation passes final stage in Dáil

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly welcomed the move this evening, saying it will make “a real difference to the lives of so many families”.

LAST UPDATE | 29 May 2024

A LAW THAT will grant children born via surrogacy a lifelong legal relationship with their mother or second parent has passed through final stage of the Dáil this evening.

The bill will now proceed to Second Stage in the Seanad ahead of the summer Oireachtas recess.

Currently there are no laws in Ireland governing domestic or international surrogacy.

The Assisted Human Reproduction Bill seeks to provide standards and regulation of reproductive healthcare and fertility technologies in Ireland.

It also deals with the issue of domestic surrogacy. 

Once the bill becomes law, it will also grant legal recognition for families with children born through surrogacy. 

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has welcomed the passing of the bill this evening, acknowledging “the vast amount of work that has been done to get us here, especially the engagement by a range of stakeholders over many years”.

He said it will make “a real difference to the lives of so many families”.

“I have listened to families and experts and I believe that the Bill and the amendments I introduced address many of the key issues raised,” Donnelly said.

He also said that some of the issues that arose during Committee Stage require further consideration. 

“In this regard, I propose to bring forward an amending Bill in the Autumn.”

Speaking ahead of the Dáil debate this evening Ciara Merrigan, chairperson of Irish Families Through Surrogacy said today is a hugely significant day for parents across Ireland who have created their families through surrogacy and for future families who will have no choice but to pursue this avenue.

“We acknowledge the hard work done to date by the Government, which will enable children born through surrogacy to be viewed as equals in the eyes of Irish law,” Merrigan said.

She added however that there are still outstanding issues and some families who need “additional legislative cover”.

“We will continue to campaign on these issues and are heartened by Minister Donnelly’s reassurance that they will be addressed through a supplementary bill in September this year,” Merrigan said. 

Meanwhile, Fine Gael Senator Mary Seery Kearney also said the progression of the bill today is a “welcome relief” to the families waiting to apply for lifelong recognition of their parent-child relationships.

Seery Kearney, who has been a strong advocate for this legislation, said applications for parental orders – including her own – will hopefully commence this autumn. 

Seery Kearney has previously spoken publicly about her own experience of pregnancy loss and surrogacy.

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    Mute alphanautica
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    Jan 8th 2017, 8:27 AM

    If collectively an enterprise lacks commercial merit it tends to go out of business.

    The curse of the private sector.

    190
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    Mute Rose Sexy
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:46 AM

    Will virgin give us utv back.

    95
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    Mute james
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    Jan 8th 2017, 9:41 AM

    Bad very bad ,crap station

    149
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    Mute Congress Tart
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    Jan 8th 2017, 9:56 AM

    “We are still proud of what we managed to do.”

    No offence, but you did nothing.

    134
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    Mute Arien
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    Jan 8th 2017, 8:15 AM

    No different to any other redundancy situation or merger. Thousands have experienced this, suck it up.

    117
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    Mute Alan b..
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    Jan 8th 2017, 8:28 AM

    People at UTV thought us Irish were silly little creatures who would swallow up their sad excuse of TV did they think we were stupid

    197
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    Mute TehJurolan
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    Jan 8th 2017, 12:12 PM

    Calling it UTV Ireland was the first joke decision – a station that showed 95% British content – most of which was chav sh*te.

    111
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    Mute Colin O Leary
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:47 AM

    Terrible comments by some, kicking people when they are down, best of luck in the future whoever lost a job

    103
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    Mute Paul Devlin
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:19 AM

    Anyone who thought UTV Ireland would produce a Channel 4 News style show was either a bit deluded or had never viewed UTV news. One is a proper news show the other is largely about sick kids/puppies that are being ‘brave, rugby and sucking up to old soldiers and the British monarch. Hardly the stuff an ambitious young hack should aspire to

    97
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    Mute Ciara McCorley
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    Jan 8th 2017, 11:22 AM

    The announcer between programs said “UTV island”…. Couldn’t even say Ireland! That’s bugged me from the beginning!

    71
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    Mute Dónal O'Flynn
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    Jan 8th 2017, 4:44 PM

    @Ciara McCorley: Perhaps it was intentional? Ulster (Television!) says yes?

    14
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    Mute ted hagan
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:25 PM

    @Ciara McCorley:
    Yea Peter Robinson of the DUP also seemed to find it difficult to say Ireland.

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    Mute Les Behan
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:06 AM

    ““This was a brand new employer with a brand new national news service, so it presented a great opportunity for young journalists who were coming up the ranks. To be part of a team that launches something new, there’s a buzz that you just don’t get in another job.”

    Yeah that’s why they then hired Pat Kenny! The dogs on the street knew this was going to fail the minute it was announced.

    67
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    Mute Michael McGuinness
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:42 AM

    Rubbish station, showed repeatit UTV, ITV. Don’t think new channel 3Be, be any better.

    66
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    Mute john g mcgrath
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    Jan 8th 2017, 1:07 PM

    Tallaght T V expanding

    15
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    Mute Veroníca
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    Jan 8th 2017, 8:41 AM

    Will poor Pat Kenny still have a job or will he have to go back to RTE with his tail between his legs!!! Never do for pat to be outta a job!

    64
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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:00 AM

    @Veroníca: Another half wit who doesn’t bother reading the article before coming out with hateful, half witted nonsense.

    103
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    Mute Pauliebhoy
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:07 AM

    And 29 people at this age agreeing too

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    Mute Pauliebhoy
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:08 AM

    *stage

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    Mute Niall O'Keeffe
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:08 AM

    @Veroníca: “Poor” Pat Kenny? Who works for both TV3 and Newstalk? Somehow, I think he’ll be okay.

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    Mute Congress Tart
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    Jan 8th 2017, 10:26 AM

    @Niall O’Keeffe: Turn on your sarcasm detector, dumbass.

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    Mute Bean Ui Mise
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    Jan 8th 2017, 11:55 AM

    Why are people knocking PK for working? Plenty people contribute nothing.

    32
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    Mute Veroníca
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    Jan 8th 2017, 5:14 PM

    I have no doubt he will Niall! He can always retire on his healthy savings!

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    Mute alan hopkins
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    Jan 8th 2017, 11:16 AM

    More repeats by a crap station. Won’t be watching

    37
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    Mute nialls
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    Jan 8th 2017, 11:21 AM

    Good because it will be difficult to watch from next week

    43
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    Mute Patrick James Walsh
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    Jan 8th 2017, 12:15 PM

    Maybe if UTV Ireland had scheduled programmes that people actually wanted to watch, if might have succeeded, after all they had access to the entire ITV network, it`s as if they didn`t want to succeed, bizzare, go figure.

    35
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    Mute David Walsh
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    Jan 8th 2017, 12:49 PM

    @Patrick James Walsh: They actually hadn’t access to the entire ITV network though. Both ITV the company and ITV the network had anything to do with UTV Ireland bar licencing some TV shows to them.

    14
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    Mute Max Johnson Powers
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    Jan 8th 2017, 5:30 PM

    They had access to content from ITV Studios. That’s how they had the Graham Norton Show.

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    Mute David Walsh
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    Jan 9th 2017, 12:06 AM

    @Max Johnson Powers: No, they had access to show some programmes. That was negotiated between them and the programmes owners.

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    Mute cyril.1
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    Jan 8th 2017, 11:46 AM

    Ducking shite station with shite presenters

    24
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    Mute Terry Cahill
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    Jan 8th 2017, 1:34 PM

    Good riddance to it ! Total failure to deliver ! Also an insult to the deaf community with no subtitles available on prime time shows like Midsummer murders ! Should not even have been allowed to broadcast. Paid no attention to complaints and were virtually uncontactable. And you don’t have to ask the football lovers what they thought of the disappearance of the international soccer matches that they would have seen on the UTV as we had it before. Say nothing about the reappearance of ” The Plank” aka Pat Kenny ! On yer bike … and quick about it ! .

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    Mute Irish Cottage Rental
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    Jan 8th 2017, 7:39 PM

    One island – two UTVs – was destined to fail. Bring back UTV from Belfast.

    21
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    Mute Jason Pigott
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    Jan 8th 2017, 4:47 PM

    Sorry to say, but as a viewer utv Ireland was crap, they tried to pull the wool over viewers eyes with so called new shows that we’re constantly repeats even playing Lorraine twice in a day I’m mean seriously just give us back utv and stop all the nonsense

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    Mute Sean Buckley
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    Jan 8th 2017, 5:01 PM

    All that money wasted.We were happy with UTV in the first place.

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    Mute Imnotrodten
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    Jan 8th 2017, 8:27 AM

    Oh no.

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    Mute Vivion Styles
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    Jan 9th 2017, 4:37 PM

    Lost foot football and rugby so this UTV can go and f&ck off. I never bothered to even see what was on cause I knew they only show absolute crap. Great tat its gone…

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