Sinn Féin politicians have penned a letter to Simon Harris asking to discuss problems surrounding the issue.
Sinn Féin spokesperson for LGBTQI Rights, Senator Fintan Warfield has criticised Minister for Health Simon Harris for failing to commence key equal status legislation to same-sex parents.
The legislation, which passed through the Oireachtas back in 2015, grants equal parental rights to families who conceive through assisted human reproduction.
Senator Warfield spoke on the issue about how same-sex families are still without full legal rights of their children.
“Parts two and three of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 give equal parental rights to families who conceive through assisted human reproduction,” he said.
“Three years on from the passing of civil marriage equality, it is unacceptable that these aspects of the legislation have yet to be commenced by Government. In many cases, Government are leaving only one parent with legal rights.”
Senator Warfield and Louise O’Reilly TD have written a letter to the Minister for Health asking for a meeting to discuss the difficulties that same-sex couples are facing because of the failure to implement parts of the Children And Family Relationships Act.
Sen Fintan Warfield & I have written to the Minister for Health asking him to meet with us to discuss the difficulties same-sex couples are facing because of the failure to implement parts 2&3 of the Children And Family Relationships Act.
Hoping for a positive response #Equality pic.twitter.com/RB6D2jiHXs— Louise O’Reilly TD for Dublin Fingal (@loreillysf) April 13, 2018
O’Reilly took to Twitter to share the letter, referencing inside same-sex parents’ ongoing battle with legalities and emergency health decisions.
“I am extremely worried that this matter is not being treated with the seriousness it deserves,” the senator wrote.
“The reasons given that a small number of “technical issues” are holding this up are not a satisfactory excuse to the many families who have contacted us, feeling that a reasonable explanation on why they are being left vulnerable has not been given.”
Fintan Warfield gave detailed explanations of the situations some of these parents face.
“Same-sex families are therefore vulnerable, as the parent without legal rights cannot give medical consent, nor are they recognised as a parent on the birth certificate of their child,” he declared in a statement.
“They cannot give citizenship rights to their child, along with an array of other potential issues.
“Numerous times, and over many years, the Department of Health have failed to meet their own deadlines in commencing this legislation. Their excuse that it is ‘a small number of technical issues’ is unreasonable, given that families are being left in a legal limbo.
“I have joined with Sinn Féin’s spokesperson for Health Louise O’Reilly TD in writing to Minister Harris, calling on him to meet with the families affected, in order to explain this unacceptable delay.”
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