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Families protest outside Leinster House today.

'If something happens to me, my wife would have no rights to her own daughter': Families criticise government for law delay

Under the current system labels of ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ exist on birth certificates.

SAME-SEX COUPLES gathered outside the Dáil today to voice their anger at the long delays in introducing legislation that would allow for legal parental recognition of their children.

Under the current system labels of ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ exist on birth certificates.

Birth certificates issued in respect of donor-assisted children born to same-sex couples currently only allow for the recording of the mother’s details.

Families said they have been waiting four years for the government to enact the Children and Family Relationship Act 2015 and the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017.

However, both pieces of legislation are still with government. 

Last week, Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty said the changes needed to resolve a number of difficulties in the registration of donor assisted births will be brought forward as a priority.

Equal rights
https://www.facebook.com/journalpolitics/videos/792559541090437/

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Elaine, mother of baby Kate, said her family have been waiting a lot more than four years for equal rights.

“Kate’s other mother Jenny is a legal stranger to her. She looks after her, she gets up for her at night, she was there right from the start, but in the government’s eyes she is a legal stranger,” she said. 

She said the recognition isn’t the important thing for her, but it is the practical things that are of concern.

“If something were to happen to me, my wife would have no rights to her own daughter,” she said, adding that other practical problems include taking their daughter to the doctor for vaccinations, picking their child up from school.

“She legally can’t do those things, and she has no rights to her own child. We are still waiting,” she said, accusing the government of  “spinning” about changing the law.

“They are saying ‘we have fixed it now’ and they haven’t, all they are doing is messing it up, making mistakes and delaying, delaying, delaying,” she said, adding that it needs to be enacted.

“It is sad that we have a gay Taoiseach and Minister for Children – surely this is the time that our rights should be promoted and they are still not doing it.”

IMG_3510 Dil Wickremasinghe and her son Phoenix.

Journalist, Dil Wickremasinghe, who was also outside Leinster House today, said these changes had been announced before the marriage equality referendum. 

In practice for her, if her daughter is taken to hospital, she has no legal rights to give consent for treatment. It is just very unfair,” she said, adding that she is trying to teach her children that “it is love that makes a family”. 

She said her young son asked her why they were there today.

“I had to have the conversation with him that the families who have a mammy and daddy don’t have to do this. They don’t have a birth certificate issue where one person is listed and the other one isn’t. It makes it hard to get the message across to him that there is nothing different about his family, we should be equal. He is getting mixed messages from society.”

Hopes to pass Bill soon

Doherty said under the new law  change approved by government same-sex female couples will be able to use the label ‘parent’ on birth certificates of their children.

The message the minister was giving to families today was that a stand alone Bill, which she hopes to publish next week, will now deal with this issue. 

The minister hopes it can avoid pre-legislative scrutiny and proceed to the Dáil and the Seanad in a couple of weeks. Doherty said it is her understanding that she has cross-party support for the Bill, adding that she will try and get it passed “as quickly as it can”. 

When enacted it will help the women at the protest today, who the minister acknowledged are in “limbo” and give these families the rights that many take for granted.

Doherty said there is no reason why the Bill could not passed speedily, stating that while it is unusual, all stages of the Bill could be heard in one sitting, if opposition parties agree.

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    Mute P C
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:03 AM

    Leo has done a good job so far. Slapping down Murphy in the Dail was great to see.

    155
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    Mute james connolly
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:09 AM

    @P C: One would never tire of watching muprhy being put firmly in his box by Leo

    Game, Set and Match to Leo LOL

    89
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    Mute tom
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:32 AM

    @P C: the big picture has passed you by.

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    Mute Mark DeFriest
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    Jul 16th 2017, 11:44 AM

    @P C:
    Stop flogging it to death.
    One ideological spat in Dail Eireann does not a good taoiseach make.

    24
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    Mute Mark DeFriest
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    Jul 16th 2017, 11:47 AM

    Anyway, read the latest polls…….and weep.
    http://www.thejournal.ie/opinion-poll-6-3498684-Jul2017/

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    Mute Dante Marquinhos
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    Jul 16th 2017, 12:39 PM

    @james connolly: PC/James Connolly are same person answering themselves. You are pathetic LOL.

    Noted!

    10
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    Mute james connolly
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:08 AM

    the roast of paul murphy should be released on DVD. Leo you absolute legend :)

    Murphys attempts at martyrdom are left in tatters PMSL

    92
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    Mute David Huston
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    Jul 16th 2017, 10:16 AM

    @james connolly: Glad to see all our problems with the banking racket are sorted and your only concern is Leo is quick with a smart ass come back

    54
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    Mute Mark DeFriest
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    Jul 16th 2017, 12:04 PM

    @james connolly:
    Looking forward to Paul Murphy rubbing Leo’s nose in it when Fine Gael refund people who paid water charges before the year is out.
    Leo will be eating humble pie that day.

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    Mute Minom Pnom
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    Jul 16th 2017, 12:37 PM

    @Mark DeFriest: Murphy is a baldy ballbag rabble-rouser

    9
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    Mute Willy Malone
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:08 AM

    Mehole calling time soon. Short stint for Leo ☺

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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:26 AM

    Varadkar’s complete failure in successive ministetial positions should be enough to see him drive Fine Gael over the cliff. What a disaster of a party.

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    Mute Tweety McTweeter
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:27 AM

    @Atheos Euripides:
    Who would you like to see a Taoiseach?

    13
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    Mute P C
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:28 AM

    @Atheos Euripides: reduced VAT for tourism industry to 9%, creating 1,000s jobs in the process. Increased health budget by €1b. Introduced free GP care for under 6s. Expedited national children’s hospital and Limerick A&E. But don’t let’s facts get in your way.

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    Mute Pepper Brooks
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:33 AM

    @Tweety McTweeter: you’ll be waiting for an. Answer to that one. Another secret SF supporter afraid to come out

    14
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    Mute james connolly
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:34 AM

    @P C: dont baffle them with facts

    16
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    Mute Simeon
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:45 AM

    @P C: The jobs came without the VAT cut being passed in to the consumer. So they would have happened anyway but now we have less money to spend on services. That’s why they cut is going to be reversed.

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    Mute P C
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:49 AM

    @Simeon: the reduction in VAT was vital at the time. It probably will be removed soon as it’s no longer needed.

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    Mute Derek Poutch
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:42 AM

    Ah yes PC and James or should I say zig and zag. Its post like yous that have the country the way it is. Never mind all the scandals and corruption associated with ff,fg and lieb, just concentrate on slagging of Paul Murphy who was vindicated by the courts on a stitched up charge in the first place. Total gombeens the 2 of yous.

    55
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    Mute P C
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:46 AM

    @Derek Poutch: he was acquitted of false imprisonment. But not for being a thug.

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    Mute Derek Poutch
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    Jul 16th 2017, 1:07 PM

    @P C:Murphy was the one who had his shirt ripped off. I did,not see him engage in any kind of thuggery on the footage. If you want to see what a real thug does its someone who takes medical cards off sick kids.

    16
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    Mute rory2u
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:16 AM

    Calm down..It’s just the European edition…

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    Mute james connolly
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:10 AM

    imagine when he tears into the shinners. the shinner make murphy look like an intellectual PMSL

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    Mute tom
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:41 AM

    @james connolly: yep that what we need more wise cracks and harsh words towards the opposition all while doing nothing about crisis in housing, health, education, corruption in Garda etc…

    All that is being lined up is next election while they are all on holidays from doing nothing all year except appointing the new FG leader.

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    Mute P C
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:45 AM

    @tom: Murphy and the rest of the Left behind alternative are hardly a credible opposition. The poll shows that both Solidarity and PBP are on 2%. The combined fringe lefties are on a total of 25% (and I’m being generous there). The centre right have nothing to fear in Ireland. Thankfully.

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    Mute Dante Marquinhos
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    Jul 16th 2017, 12:40 PM

    @P C: PC/James Connolly talking to themselves again LOL!

    Noted!

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    Mute The Risen
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    Jul 16th 2017, 1:36 PM

    @Dante Marquinhos: Saw it earlier in the week Dante. James Connolky was demanding his question be answered over and over, having forgotton he used one of his other fake accounts to post the question in the first place.

    It was comical. Scarlet for them!

    10
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    Mute Dante Marquinhos
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    Jul 16th 2017, 2:29 PM

    @The Risen: This is the elite of the Blueshirt fraperoom? A slightly deranged person with multiple accounts who has a crush on some Fine Gael politicians like he’s a 14 year old girl following a boyband.

    I suppose with the calibre of politicians in the party, you can’t expect their underlings to be much better.

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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:48 AM

    Murphy was vindicated as was right but he was no Martyr ,he would do better to move on and show maturity

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    Mute Paraic McDonagh
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    Jul 16th 2017, 9:52 AM

    For climate change deniers. Here’s a cartoon that plots global temperature change over time. The difference between natural and man-made climate change is the RATE of change. No one denies the fact that natural temperature change has occurred in the past . But the current ‘natural’ cycle should presently be a slow cooling. Instead, it’s an unnatural sharp (never seen before) spike of warming. https://xkcd.com/1732/

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    Mute Matisyahu Kelleher
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    Jul 17th 2017, 2:27 AM

    Funnily enough I expected Leo to appear on the cover…..turns out Don Jr. Is on the cover.

    1
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