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To: The Irish Minister for Health - Simon Harris

Equal Rights For Same Sex Parents in Ireland

Grant equal rights to all same sex parents in Ireland - not just a select few.

Why is this important?

****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.

Links

Updates

2021-01-29 14:43:40 +0000

Hi folks:)

So many new signatures in the last few days, so thank you! A lot has happened since I first started this campaign. The big thing is that we started an organisation called 'Equality For Children' and would love if you could follow our progress there on www.instagram.com/equalityforchildren

You can also visit our website www.equalityforchildren.ie where you can learn more about the situation as it stands as well as find ways to help like volunteer with us or donate to the campaign.

Thank you so much from my family, and all our LGBTQ+ families who are still fighting for equality in 2021.

Ranae x

2019-08-06 23:49:59 +0100

Coverage from RTE:

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/0805/1067027-lgbt-parents/

2019-07-25 22:46:03 +0100

20,000 signatures reached

2019-07-23 13:28:51 +0100

Can't even believe the support in the last few days. I posted a picture on Saturday of one of our daughters birth certs. And it has struck a chord with you all. The blank page with the missing information of one of her parents. Thank you, each one of you for continuing to support us and all LGBTQ parents in Ireland. No one is equal unless we all are. Ranae x

https://www.facebook.com/ranaevonmeding/photos/a.197560627475070/383188522245612/?type=3&theater

2019-07-20 14:48:01 +0100

10,000 signatures reached

2019-06-14 20:06:41 +0100

I have a meeting with Regina Doherty next week- she is the Minister for Social Protection. I'd love to be able to present her with this petition and have 10K signatures by then. We can do it:)
Ranae x

2019-06-11 22:36:10 +0100

We'd had some great coverage in the media over the past few days. Thanks to everyone who is continuing to support us in our fight for equality. Ranae x

https://www.image.ie/life/how-do-i-explain-to-my-daughters-that-i-am-not-legally-recognised-as-their-mum-151279?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=article&utm_medium=web&fbclid=IwAR2DT1mt-Dm9jYZCY1nQXp7S2h5spNOxjsEan9f3QBVe1gT6CdEYrSwqfK0

2019-05-11 13:49:55 +0100

We're at 7,434. Already the show of support has been incredible. I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to sign this and share it. We've had an exciting week with Audrey's birthday, a photoshoot for Mums and Tots Magazine (we are the cover story for the summer edition) and 2 podcasts about being a same sex parent!
Ranae x

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxIttRNnILk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

2019-04-08 17:37:37 +0100

We are on our way to reaching 6,000 signatures and it hasn't even been a week.

For everyone who has signed and shared- thank you so much:) Please keep sharing. If you haven't already, follow me on Social Media, that's where I put most of my updates. Also on FB and Twitter but I spend most of my time on Instagram these days. Talking about Same Sex Parental Equality- and also spamming you with pictures and videos of our gorgeous girls!!!

https://www.instagram.com/ranaevonmeding/

2019-04-08 02:07:57 +0100

5,000 signatures reached

2019-04-04 22:16:15 +0100

Over 3,000 signatures and counting. Thank you so much. It means the world to us that we have support from so many wonderful people all over the globe. GCN, an Irish Gay Magazine wrote a lovely article earlier today. Here it is:

https://gcn.ie/petition-equal-rights-same-sex-parents-ireland-launched/?fbclid=IwAR1ZT81ktWJE_NLBqIQ8vN6eCUT-CQxq8H9Z7FnMXSnID8_gs7j95Liyt9E

2019-04-03 23:00:25 +0100

You are all amazing for the support you are showing for same sex families in Ireland. This is a video I made for Mother's Day last weekend. All we want is for both of us to be recognised as what we are. Mothers to our daughters.

https://bit.ly/2uJVgUZ

2019-04-03 20:51:35 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2019-04-03 15:40:11 +0100

500 signatures reached

2019-04-02 22:30:07 +0100

100 signatures reached