Welcoming the long-awaited establishment of the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority, Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice today called on the Minister for Health to move ahead with required law reform in this area.
Deputy Rice, who is the party’s spokesperson on health, said:
“I welcome the establishment of the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority and congratulate Professor Deirdre Madden on being appointed as the first chairperson of its board.
“The Minister must now proceed, without delay, with the required law reform.
“Last week, the Health Committee published a report setting out 18 recommendations, which include calls for surrogacy leave and benefits, a national awareness campaign and for all gaps in the law to be closed to ensure we have an inclusive framework for donor assisted human reproduction and surrogacy.
“The pace of change has been far too slow. It’s now over a quarter of a century since the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction was established.
“The Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 was a long-awaited piece of legislation. Unfortunately, this legislation remains largely uncommenced, contains several gaps and leaves too many families behind. Another Bill is urgently needed.
“It’s crucially important that the Minister now progresses with supplementary legislation that is as inclusive as possible, with a central focus on the rights of the child. In particular, this legislation must facilitate ethical international donor assisted human reproduction and protect the rights of our citizens abroad.”
October 13, 2025