Same-sex parents will be able to legally register both names on child’s birth cert

The new regulations will be signed by Health Minister Simon Harris today.

Gay parents will both be able to register their names on their child's birthday certificate from May 2020. More than a year ago, Minister Harris sought approval to introduce legislation allowing both parents to be recognised as such on their child's birth cert, and after a lengthy campaign by Equality for Children, it will finally come into effect next year. Up until now, an anomaly meant that some parental rights for same-sex couples were afforded to the child's birth mother only. In 2015, parts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act allowed for parentage through donor-assisted human reproduction. However, a loophole meant that these clauses had yet to be enacted. According to the Irish Independent, Minister Simon Harris said:

"While we know some of their issues will be addressed through the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill, there are areas that require some consideration. "I have some proposals as to how to look at these matters but I want to discuss these with the families first and hope to make some progress on this next week."

It is hoped that the new clause will come into action on May 5, 2020.