As parents to 2 terminally ill boys, Cathal (4) and Ciaran (3) we do not want any other parents to suffer our pain unnecessarily. We want our boys to be amongst the last born in Ireland with a disease that could have been treated at birth. Our sons have a rare condition Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) with a life expectancy of 5 yrs. Through a trial gene therapy treatment program in Milan, Italy, we were able to treat Ciaran who is now 2 years post therapy and doing well. For Cathal however there was no chance of treatment be cause once the condition had been diagnosed it was to late. Through our experience in Italy we learnt of their program to expand their newborn screening program from 4 diseases to 40 in 1 year. This has been a huge success and will save so many lives and so much suffering that we must follow their lead and protect our children here in Ireland. The Italian government has presented this information to the EU parliament and their ministry of health and the charity organisations who drove this change have openly offer their assistance to us to copy their model in this expansion. I have written to every politician in Ireland and shared this information and the relevant contacts with our HSE. But I have been advised from the people who made it happen in Italy that public will and pressure on the government are the best ways to effect change. All the studies and validations for all 40 diseases they now screen for are available to use, along with the financial cases for each disease. Making this change will also save millions of euro! 1 in 1500 births in Ireland will have 1 of these detectable and treatable conditions. 1 baby every 8 days. We have watched our son Cathal grow to be a beautiful 2 year old boy with no problems and then slowly fade over the last 3 yrs. He is fully paralyzed now and close to the end. We cannot bear the burden of knowing there will be other parents like us unless their is an immediate action taken on this. Please take the time to sign this petition and to share it with everyone and anyone you can. There is a wonderful opportunity to make a huge change here in Ireland, saving the lives of children and the suffering of so many families. https://www.facebook.com/themartinfamilytrust

Thousands of babies bodies are lost and the Mother and Baby Homes Commission state that they find it hard to believe that you don't have information about what happened to them.

To highlight the fact that hundreds and possibly thousands of babies and young children who were in State/Church care were denied the dignity of a proper burial.

For two years, Human Rights Watch has spoken with Airbnb about their brokering of rentals in West Bank settlements that are illegal under international humanitarian law and for which Palestinian ID holders are effectively barred from entering. The settlement movement has sought to encourage tourism in occupied land, with the help of the Israeli government, which established national parks there. A leaked European Union report said some projects were being used “as a political tool to … support, legitimise and expand settlements”. Irish people know only too well the negative consequences of imperialist racist occupation. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/nov/19/airbnb-removes-rentals-in-israeli-west-bank-settlements

It is important because I feel the cost and construction of the crossings could have and should have been put to better use. I feel that a one-way system around secondary school would have solved the problem and would have cost less, it is also important because it puts the safety of drivers and school children on the line and since they have been constructed one fatal accident has occurred at the location. Finally, it is important for those with authority to focus on smaller projects which would benefit communities more instead of larger un-necessary projects which cost more money.

****UPDATE**** So much has happened since I launched this petition in 2019. As it stands today I am still seen as a single parent to our two daughters. Following on from lengthly legal proceedings, we hope to soon have our personal situation resolved. The intended legislation, detailed below was commenced in May 2020, and many LGBTQ+ families are now benefitting from it. However so many children of LGBTQ+ families in Ireland are suffering as a result of the governments inaction to ensure that ALL family types are protected. Those still left out of any legislation are all Gay dads, and those who conceive via non clinical methods or through clinics abroad. We won't stop fighting til every child is equal. Follow me on www.instagram.com/ranaevonmeding and I'll continue posting updates on the situation as it evolves. ***Original Post*** My wife Audrey and I have two beautiful daughters. Ava is 2 and her sister Arya is 3 months old. We did Reciprocal IVF which means we used Audrey's eggs to conceive and I carried the babies. It's also known as 'Shared Motherhood'. Audrey is their biological parent and I am their birth parent. As it currently stands, under the Irish law, because I gave birth to the girls, I am seen as their parent and Audrey is seen as a legal stranger. I am married and yet I am viewed as a single parent. We equally brought our children into the world together. We equally are raising them as a family. And yet we are not viewed as a family. If anything happened to me, it's unclear if Audrey would be 'next in line' so to speak. There is new legislation coming in later this year which will allow for some same sex couples to both be registered as parents. The only couples it will apply to are female couples who have conceived in an Irish Fertility clinic using an identifiable donor. Everyone else is left out. So those who have gone abroad, those who have used an anonymous or a known to them donor, those who have done an at home insemination and like us those who have done Reciprocal IVF. Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Health has knowingly allowed and supported legislation to come in which will split an already marginalised community into two. To put it very simply, this new law is going to cover about half of the LGBT+ community who have families. And for the other half- we won't meet the criteria to be recognised as a family. All families need to be protected. Regardless of our sex. Regardless of where and how we conceived. Whether a family was created through Adoption, Surrogacy or Fertility Treatments, they deserve protection and recognition.

With the homeless figures officially exceeding the 10,000 mark, it is blatantly obvious to the public how ineffectual Minister Eoghan Murphy is. 10,000 men, women and children forced to live on the streets or in temporary shelters. Despite numerous protest marches and numerous demands from the public to deal with this EXTREMELY important issue, Minister Eoghan Murphy has time and again not dealt with this matter and despite all the promises that were made to deal with this matter effectively, the situation has gravely worsened. For the sake of all the people whose lives are at a risk on a daily basis on the streets, it is now high time for Eoghan Murphy to resign and for someone COMPETENT to take on the job.

Kildare needs more facilities for children and adults to engage in sports to promote a healthier lifestyle benefiting physical and mental health. With BMX all Ages and Abilities are Welcome: BMX isn’t just for children, Parents and children can ride bikes together, there aren’t many sports out there that parents and children can participate in together. It’s a great way for families to bond over a common interest helping to combat the raising obesity rate and reducing screen time and promoting general well being. Kildare town is constantly growing with more new housing developments but no new projects promoting sports activity have been completed, with the communities help we can change this! With the provision of a BMX bike track being built Kildare could envision provincial and national champions coming from the BMX club that would be based there. Kildare has already produced Provincial and National champions with no local facilities! Because of the involvement of adults mentoring and coaching the younger riders there is never any prospect of antisocial behavior. Building a BMX bike track will reduce any antisocial tendencies drawing the interests of the youth to ride their bikes in a safe fun place, and help role model BMX bike riding by discouraging the use of scramblers on the Curragh plains. The BMX bike track would become a bike tourism attraction drawing families to try the sport, raising revenue for the town from extra foot fall to local businesses. For more information of what is a BMX bike track click the links below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfA3fBgA10g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXqlMh8U81M

Both sisters are profoundly deaf and entirely dependent on Cochlear implants and the essential support services they have been receiving, in their home here in Cavan. Their speech development has been significantly delayed due to late implants. Deportation would have detrimental impact on their education, health, security and language development. If they get deported back they will have to transfer to a non-English speaking environment, where they will be unable to speak the language. This will majorly disrupt the progress they have been achieving here in Ireland. Their current struggles with their education and development will only be made worse. Their school principal at St. Clair N S Ballyjamesduff fully support this petition ) as does TD Niamh Smith Support.

THE EASY WAY TO COVER STUFF UP, IS TO BURY IT, IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES, STATING IT'S FOR OUR OWN GOOD OR IN THE INTERESTS OF NATIONAL SECURITY. IN LAY MAN'S TERMS, THAT MEANS, THEY ARE COVERING UP FOR PADEOPHILES AND MURDERERS THAT ARE MOST LIKELY STILL ALIVE AND MORE THAN LIKELY, THESE ARE HIGH PROFILE PEOPLE. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR INTELLIGENCE TO BE INSULTED. LOCKED IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES FOR 75 YEARS MEANS. COVER UP.

Limerick City is nationally recognised as a priority area in the mental health crisis. We know the interventions that need to be taken, and are not willing to stand by anymore and listen to empty promises from politicians. Depression is the largest cause of disability among those aged 10-24, and suicide is now one of the leading causes of death among young people in Europe. Depression is an important predisposing factor for suicide among adolescents, and this age group have high rates of suicide in Ireland. • There were 425 deaths by suicide recorded in Ireland in 2015 (latest figures) • Limerick has twice the national average rate of suicide. • Limerick City also has high rates of self-harm among adolescents. A particular period of life which can see depression emerge is adolescence. The fact that there are huge changes, both socially and mentally taking place leaves young people more vulnerable and susceptible to mental illness. Mental health issues which begin during adolescense can persist into adulthood. Over half of adults report their mental health illnesses stemming from the ages of 12-18 years. Schools are in a unique position to promote mental health and emotional well being, to provide a health promoting environment and to identify young people experiencing emotional distress. The roll out of evidence based mental health awareness programmes in Irish schools should be undertaken as a matter of priority in order to develop mental health literacy, promote positive mental health and prevent suicide in this vulnerable group (World Health Organisation) One school based intervention, Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM), which was a brief, universal mental health programme that was delivered in the classroom over a 4 week period was associated with a significantly lower number of subsequent suicide attempts and suicidal ideation. Its aim was to improve mental health literacy and coping skills of young people, to raise awareness of risk and protective factors associated with suicide and to enhance young people’s knowledge about mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It included role-play sessions, interactive lectures and workshops SEYLE, an extensive European study recently undertaken, found that a universal school-based public health intervention, such as YAM can prevent one suicide attempt for every 167 students targetted, along with a wide range of other benefits, and recommends such a programme in every school. (WHO) In one of its leading actions, Connecting for Life Midwest, under the national strategy for suicide prevention says it aims to ‘target approaches to reduce suicidal behaviour and improve mental well being among priority groups.’ The Limerick Local Economic and community Plan 2016-2021, under the action area, Health and well-being, states that it aims to ‘Promote population health and well-being and conditions in local communities to support positive mental and physical health.’ Our young people can't wait anymore! As a start, this preventative measure must be implemented in all Limerick City schools. Thank you for signing the petition and please share.

Recent changes to Gorey Community School (GCS) enrolment policy mean that from 2019 we are no longer prioritised for places in GCS. Children who don't have siblings attending GCS or aren't children of GCS staff will be entered in an open lottery consisting of Bunscoil Loreto and 15 other primary schools. Parents of children currently attending Bunscoil Loreto hold the legitimate expectation that Bunscoil Loreto would remain a priority feeder school to GCS. The majority of parents based their choice of primary school solely on this fact and removal of this priority places these children at a disadvantage. The schools have strong links and are located adjacent to each other.