Rosanna Davison has shared her concern over reports that surrogacy legislation will be delayed.
In a post on Instagram, Ms Davison said she was concerned after reading a report in The Sunday Buisiness Post that the Government is “considering deferral of legislation for international & retrospective pathways to surrogacy.”
Ms Davison has previously been open about her struggles with fertility and experience of surrogacy to have her first daughter.
“If true, this will affect 100s of children & families across Ireland, including my own. Sophia & many other children will be left legally vulnerable & unprotected,” she said.
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“I’m adding my voice to the 100s of other voices supporting international surrogacy & retrospective pathways to parenthood so that no children are left out. It should be the legal right of my 3 babies that I can protect them equally.
“The heartbreaking reality is that I’m not legally recognised as Sophia’s mother like I am to my twins, yet I am her biological mother.
“I can apply to be her legal guardian from age 2 to 18, but after that I’m a legal stranger to her,” Ms Davison told her followers.
“Whilst I trust that doctors & caregivers will always put a child’s health & welfare first, it’s extremely worrying to know that I can’t consent to a vaccination or a blood test, and I wouldn’t be considered her mother on medical consent forms.
“If Sophia’s legal parent @wesquirke were to become incapacitated or worse, I would be her guardian but not viewed as her parent or mother.
“It’s beyond distressing to consider, but these are the thoughts that cause such anxiety for me and others.
“Sophia shouldn’t be treated differently to her brothers. My 3 children should have me as their mother, parent & protector.”
According to the Business Post, the Government is instead planning to legislate only for domestic, altruistic surrogacy in the forthcoming Assisted Human Reproduction (AHR) Bill and will deal with a framework around the rights of children and parents who have used international surrogacy separately.
