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Parentage

Oireachtas committee says children should have a right to know who their biological parents are

The recommendations of the committee also include provisions for recognising same-sex adoptions made abroad.

CHILDREN OF SURROGATE parents, egg and sperm donors and of single parents should have a right to know who their parents are.

That is the stance of the Oireachtas Justice Committee, which has suggested that a provision for the information be made in the Children and Family Bill.

The recommendations of the committee also include provisions for recognising same-sex adoptions made abroad.

The recommendations say that children should not be denied a legal identity because of some breach of the relevant provisions in the Children and Family Relationships Bill relating to surrogacy arrangements by their parents or prospective parents.

Committee Chairman David Stanton TD said:

“The wide-ranging nature of the proposals in the Bill reflects the social change experienced by a significant proportion of families and households in Ireland over recent decades, as well as the scientific developments which have taken place in assisted human reproduction.”

Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance said that the recommendations were welcome and meant that the bill should be revisited.

“The Justice Committee recognises that children born as a result of Assisted Human Reproduction (AHR) should have a right to access information concerning their genetic identity. This is a very welcome development as children have a right to their identity and to know their origins.”

Read: Doctors: Punishing parents using commercial surrogacy services won’t benefit anyone

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