A couple’s dream of becoming parents through surrogacy may soon become a reality with the proposed Assisted Human Reproduction Bill reaching Report Stage in the Dáil today. This legislation, if passed, will provide licensing and regulations for domestic and international surrogacy, giving legal status to parents who already have children through surrogacy and covering future cases.

Deirdre and Edwin, a couple struggling with infertility due to cancer diagnoses, believe surrogacy is their only path to parenthood. With stored eggs from before Deirdre’s cancer treatment and the use of donor sperm due to Edwin’s condition, current Irish legislation poses a roadblock to their parental rights post-surrogacy.

The couple, along with advocacy groups like Irish Families Through Surrogacy, are hopeful for the bill’s quick passage to provide much-needed protection and guidance for families, surrogates, and children involved in the surrogacy process. The need for speed in this legislative process is urgent for couples like Deirdre and Edwin who are running out of time in their journey to have a family.