The Assisted Reproduction Bill 2017: an analysis of proposals to regulate surrogacy in Ireland

The General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017 was approved for drafting by the Irish government on the 3 October 2017. When published, most media outlets focused on the Minister for Health’s announcement concerning state funding for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, with little commentary on the substantive provisions of the Bill.1 This is perhaps surprising given that this Bill has been ‘imminent’ since February 20152 and has been eagerly awaited by all stakeholders for some years. The Bill proposes to further regulate the area of assisted human reproduction (AHR), essentially filling in the gaps of the regulation created (but not yet commenced) by the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015.