A temporary procedure has been put in place for the Irish babies born through surrogacy in Ukraine this week that should shorten the exit process and expedite the journey home for couples with their newborn babies.
The accommodations were agreed by the State bodies involved and coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The temporary process has been brought in due to the ongoing Russian military build up on the borders of Ukraine.
In a statement issued to BreakingNews.ie, Irish Families Through Surrogacy said: "We would like to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and Government officials for the intensive work they have done to ensure the safety of a number of Irish families who are in
Ukraine with their newborn babies.
"The news that the exit process home for these families has been expedited is extremely welcome, and we wish the families a safe journey home to Ireland.
"Our thoughts are with the amazing women, all our surrogate mothers, and their families at this time of great tension and anguish in Ukraine
"There were a number of babies born this week in the Ukraine, and we are very grateful to Minister Simon Coveney and the DFA for their responsiveness to these families. We look forward to welcoming the families home soon."
While the group supports and works closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who have advised against travel to the country due to the Russian military build up on its border, it is also looking at the "human side" of the situation.
In a recent interview with BreakingNews.ie, IFTS spokeswoman Catherine Wheatley said: "The reality of the situation is, every single parent is going to try to get there. We absolutely support the Department of Foreign Affairs and the advice they have to give out to try to protect Irish citizens, but when you think about it these babies they are going to finally meet after a long and arduous journey, these babies are Irish citizens, so every parent is going to try to get to them if they can at all and while they can.
"There were some babies born today in Ukraine, others are due tomorrow, so we have couples that are absolutely travelling to Ukraine currently and will continue to travel as long as they can in that regard. Obviously if the situation changes they will have to re-evaluate.
"We try to balance the advice with the human element, but the truth is any parent would move mountains to get to their child, and that’s all these parents are doing, they will do anything they can."
