“It should be the legal right of my 3 babies that I can protect them equally.”
Rosanna Davison has never been shy about opening up about her fertility struggles, experiencing surrogacy to have her first daughter, Sophia.
Now only a month shy of Sophia’s second birthday, Rosanna is using her voice to speak out against proposed legislation regarding surrogacy in Ireland.
Revealing she was concerned after reading that the Irish government is “considering deferral of legislation for international & retrospective pathways to surrogacy,” Rosanna took to Instagram to dig deep into the issue.
She said: “If true, this will affect 100s of children & families across Ireland, including my own. Sophia & many other children will be left legally vulnerable & unprotected.
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“I’m adding my voice to the 100s of other voices supporting international surrogacy & retrospective pathways to parenthood so that no children are left out. It should be the legal right of my 3 babies that I can protect them equally.”
Going on to explain the legislation and how it will affect the country, particularly those who have gone through surrogacy, she detailed the issue to her followers.
She said: “The heartbreaking reality is that I’m not legally recognised as Sophia’s mother like I am to my twins, yet I am her biological mother. I can apply to be her legal guardian from age 2 to 18, but after that I’m a legal stranger to her.
“Whilst I trust that doctors & caregivers will always put a child’s health & welfare first, it’s extremely worrying to know that I can’t consent to a vaccination or a blood test, and I wouldn’t be considered her mother on medical consent forms.
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“If Sophia’s legal parent @wesquirke were to become incapacitated or worse, I would be her guardian but not viewed as her parent or mother. It’s beyond distressing to consider, but these are the thoughts that cause such anxiety for me & others. Sophia shouldn’t be treated differently to her brothers. My 3 children should have me as their mother, parent & protector.”
Feeling compelled to make the statement, she wanted to show how this potential legislation will not only affect her children but many others in the same boat.
She concluded: “I can only hope that our government is listening to all the parents speaking out on behalf of their children & trust that they will bring forward legislation so that no child is left out, allowing me to be a legally recognised mother to my 3 children.”
Currently, there is no legislation in Ireland regarding surrogacy. Many people in Ireland who have a child through surrogacy are forced to travel to other countries.
