During the last decade, over 100 babies born through surrogacy in India, Ukraine and Thailand have entered Ireland with their intended parents through emergency travel certificates. Thirty-two children were affected in just one year – 2015. To bypass the law, the families have the biological paternity link recognised with the child, then, two years later, the intended mother establishes a legal bond through a guardianship order.
These figures do not take into account those children born in the United States and Canada as these countries regulate the child’s civil status by issuing the child with a passport. According to John Duffy, leader of a surrogate mother support group providing information on infertility, there are currently 250 families in Ireland with children born through surrogacy.
To date, surrogacy is not authorised or recognised in Ireland but a draft bill is being reviewed by the Joint Oireachtas Committee in Health, which could lead to its authorisation provided that it is not remunerated. Although this law does not take into account the situation of citizens involved in international surrogacy agreements, it prevents professionals from giving medical or legal advice to couples travelling abroad in pursuit of a surrogacy contract.
Irish Mirror, Olivia Kelleher (11/11/2017)