Children born through donor-assisted reproduction or surrogacy should be entitled from the age of 12 to access information about the identity of their genetic parents, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Prof Conor O’Mahony, has advised the Government. Currently, under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, those born through donor-assisted reproduction must wait until they turn 18 before they can directly request identifying information on their genetic parents. But after the age of 12 a child should be entitled to apply independently for this information, “even if the parents don’t go along with it”, he told The Irish Times. Initial drafting of the long-awaited Assisted Human Reproduction Bill in 2017 did cover altruistic domestic surrogacy but made no provisions for children born through international surrogacy. There should be no requirement that domestic surrogacy arrangements involve a genetic link between the child and at least one intending parent, he says.

Source: The Irish Times March 31, 2021 13:29 UTC