The use of frozen sperm, eggs or embryos after a person’s death by their partner will be permitted following a one-year grieving period under draft legislation, the Oireachtas health committee has heard. The State’s chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan briefed the committee on the process of drafting the forthcoming Assisted Human Reproduction (AHR) Bill on Wednesday. “These provisions enable a surviving female partner to continue a parental project after the death of her partner, provided specific conditions are fulfilled,” Dr Holohan said. Dr Holohan said the practice of a woman delivering a child for another person or couple could create potential risks of coercion and exploitation of financially vulnerable women. There is currently no specific law in the Republic in the area and services remain largely unregulated.

Source: The Irish Times January 17, 2018 19:18 UTC