Shared motherhood' couple can both be named on Irish birth certificate

A lesbian couple in Ireland has won the right to be legally recognised as a two-mother family.

Ranae von Meding and her wife, Audrey Rooney, have two daughters. Both children were conceived using 'reciprocal' or 'shared motherhood' IVF in Spain, where Rooney's egg was used and von Meding gave birth. Although the couple were married when their children were born, only von Meding was recognised as their legal parent, even though Rooney is the genetic mother.

'This afternoon my wife became a legal parent to our two children, her biological daughters, but the reality is that she was their mom since the moment we decided to have children together,' said von Meding.

Under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, both parents can be named on the birth certificate of a child born through assisted reproduction. However, the act only recognises same-sex couples who conceive through an Irish fertility clinic with a traceable sperm donor, and the child must be born in Ireland. Rooney and von Meding's daughters were born in Ireland but they had treatment in Spain because at the time no Irish clinics offered reciprocal IVF.

Several provisions of the act only came into effect last year, including those granting female same-sex couples who used foreign clinics as an avenue, to be recognised as legal parents retrospectively as long as their children were conceived before May 2020, and were born in Ireland.

'I am so relieved, that's the major feeling after leaving court,' Von Meding said. 'But it's hard to feel like celebrating when we have so many friends that are still not recognised as parents and are still having to campaign.'

Same-sex male couples who use surrogacy, couples who use home insemination, and couples who gave birth abroad are still excluded from being able to apply for legal parenthood in Ireland. Despite surrogacy featuring in a recent High Court challenge (see BioNews 1093), there is currently no legislation on surrogacy in Ireland.

'I know it is complex legislation because there needs to be protection for all parties involved, but it is needed. It has been done in countries all over the world. We aren't asking the government to recreate the wheel,' Von Meding said.