Same-sex couples feel they are 'bottom of the agenda' for health minister

Campaign groups have been requesting a meeting with health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill since her appointment in January, but said they were disappointed this week that while they have not yet received a date, a meeting with a group which represents heterosexual couples will meet the minister this week. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

The health minister has insisted she is committed to meeting same-sex parents to address issues around surrogacy, despite having been accused of "disregarding" the LGBT+ community.

A number of pieces of legislation have been introduced — including last year's Assisted Human Reproduction Act and the 2015 Children and Family Relationships Act — but same-sex couples have, over the years, campaigned for changes to those laws as many circumstances are not covered, leading to only one parent being legally recognised.