Is Fertility Law in Ireland set to change?

Fertility Law

Legislation regarding assisted reproduction in Ireland has yet to be implemented, and while we await formation of our new government, it is not clear when this will proceed. Parts of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 (CFRA) that deal specifically with donor-assisted human reproduction (excluding surrogacy) are due to take effect on 4 May 2020. This will leave a number of important issues unresolved, including parentage of children born to LGBT families using donor assisted technologies, the legal position of their parents, and the status of donor gametes currently in storage.

Solicitor Fiona Duffy, partner at Patrick F O’Reilly & Co., discusses the current legislative and regulatory concerns surrounding ART in Ireland in the article below:

https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_147640

Merrion Fertility Clinic’s Top Ten Highlights of the Past Decade

No. 1: Expanded Facility

2010: We moved into our current facility in no.60 Lower Mount Street which gave us the space we needed to grow and expand our services, while still being part of the National Maternity Hospital complex. We also had a state-of-the-art laboratory built.

No. 2: Donor Egg Service Launched

April 2015: We announced that we had established a satellite service to support appropriate patients requiring donor egg treatments. Our satellite service comprises pre-pregnancy medical advice and counselling, psychological support, arrangement of pre-requisite tests and prescriptions, provision of necessary ultrasound scans and tests during treatment, and relay of results to overseas clinic.   READ MORE

 

 

No. 3 Launch of MFC Support Group

August 2015: We began our support group which runs every month and is facilitated by our very experienced fertility counsellor, Kay Duff. This allows our patients to share their feelings and stories. The fertility journey can be emotionally demanding and many couples and individuals have benefited from the support of this group.   READ MORE

 

 

No. 4 Awarded Guaranteed Irish Membership

June 2017: We are a not-for-profit, Irish clinic. Not all fertility clinics are Irish-owned; some are owned by foreign corporations, which are answerable to shareholders. Our partnership with Guaranteed Irish reflects our MFC values of quality in patient services and care, and our commitment through education, research and training. As Ireland’s only fertility clinic with ‘Guaranteed Irish’ membership, we take great pride in reflecting the Guaranteed Irish beliefs of Provenance, Quality and Trust.   READ MORE

 

 

No. 5 Prof Mary Wingfield Launches ‘The Fertility Handbook’

June 2017: This comprehensive, research-based book provides excellent guidance on the fertility journey. Proceeds go to the Merrion Fertility Foundation, our sister charity which provides financial support to those who cannot afford fertility treatment.   READ MORE

 

Fertility

 

 

 

No. 6 Prestigious Grant for Fertility Innovation Received

July 2018: We received the highly competitive grant for fertility innovation for our research on the role of endometrium (lining of the womb) in embryo implantation at the 34th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). Dr. Louise Glover, Research and Development Coordinator at MFC, was awarded the Merck GFI (Grant for Fertility Innovation) for this project. Dr. Glover is pictured below with Louise Brown, the first child born through IVF at the award ceremony.   READ MORE

 

 

 

 

No. 7 Certified as Complying with ISO 9001:2015 

November 2018: We are regularly audited by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) to ensure compliance with the highest standards in relation to the Tissues and Cells legislation. We decided to transition to ISO 9001:2015 from the 2008 version of the quality management standard, which ensures that all processes are governed by Standard Operating Procedures and that any non-conformances result in corrective action so that our system is continuously improving.

 

No. 8 First Baby Born from Frozen Eggs

December 2018: We were delighted to announce the arrival of our first baby born through our egg freezing program. Egg freezing or ‘oocyte vitrification’ was first introduced in MFC in September 2016, so this successful pregnancy and birth within only 26 months of establishing the service was a testament to the expertise, hard work and outstanding dedication of the MFC team.

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No. 9 First Baby Born through the Donor Sperm Program

December 2018: We were delighted to welcome our first baby conceived using the donor sperm service at our clinic. This successful pregnancy and birth occurred less than one year after introduction of the donor sperm program in MFC in 2017.   READ MORE

 

 

No. 10 MFC Patients

We are delighted to have been able to help thousands of patients achieve their dreams over the last decade.  We help patients through our various services, some of which are Ovulation Induction, IUI, IVF, ICSI, Egg Freezing, Donor Sperm Services and SSR.  One of our patients shared the following story on her IVF journey:    READ MORE

 

 

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Also, if you ever wish to consider fertility treatment, you can self-refer to our clinic by clicking here.