6. Is donation of sperm/oocytes/embryos permitted in your country? Yes. Under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, gamete and embryo donation are permitted on a non-anonymous basis. In addition, this legislation provides for the establishment of a National Donor-Conceived Person Register, which will allow donor-conceived children to access certain information regarding the gamete/embryo donor involved in procedures leading to their conception. It is intended that the proposed legislation pertaining to assisted human reproduction will deal with the broader issues relating to donor conception (e.g. age limits, screening, storage periods, the avoidance of consanguinity and donation for research purposes).
7. Are there specific compensation arrangements for donations of sperm/oocytes/embryos? Yes. Under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, commercial gamete and embryo donation is prohibited. Gamete and Embryo donation may only operate on an altruistic basis and the reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred as part of the donation process will be permitted. Reasonable expenses, for the purposes of the Act means: travel costs, medical expenses and any legal or counselling costs incurred by the donor.
8. Are there specific criteria for donation of sperm/oocytes/embryos? Yes. The Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, sets out a number of criteria in relation to the consent of gamete/embryo donors. For instance, a donor must be over 18 and must give consent in writing, having confirmed that s/he has been informed that s/he will not be the parent of a child born through the donation. The consent must be witnessed. The donor must agree, when consenting, to the inclusion of information about him/her on the National Donor-Conceived Person Register. The consent must also indicate that the donor understands that a donor-conceived child may seek to contact her/him. Assisted human reproduction clinics should be satisfied that where donated gametes/embryos are being imported from another jurisdiction, the consent process in the other jurisdiction is in line with the stipulations set out above. Under the proposed assisted human reproduction legislation, donors will undergo medical screening in accordance with requirements set out under SI No. 158/2006 European Communities (Quality and Safety of Human Tissues and Cells) Regulations 2006
9. Are there specific non-medical criteria for selection of gametes/embryos to be used for MAP? No
10. Are there special measures for the prevention of consanguinity? Ireland has a relatively small population size, which could increase the risks of inadvertent consanguinity between individuals conceived using gametes from the same donor. It is proposed that the assisted human reproduction legislation will place a maximum limit of four families to which gametes/embryos from the same donor can be donated.
11. In a homosexual couple, is a legal relationship possible between a child and the partner of the legal parent? Yes.
Under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, the parents of a donor-conceived child who is born as a result of a donor assisted human reproduction procedure are
(a) the mother, and
(b) the husband, civil partner or cohabitant, as the case may be, of the mother.
The Act of 2015 does not encompass surrogacy.