Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024
Application for parental order - domestic surrogacy | ||
65. (1) (a) Subject to subsections (2) to (7), an application (in this Part referred to as a “ section 65 application”) may be made to the court for a parental order in respect of a child who was born as a result of AHR treatment provided pursuant to a permitted surrogacy. | ||
(b) A section 65 application shall be accompanied by— | ||
(i) the required particulars specified in Part 2C of the First Schedule to the Act of 2004, and | ||
(ii) particulars of the expenses referred to in section 58 . | ||
(2) A section 65 application may only be made by the intending parents or one of them (or, in the case of a single intending parent, that intending parent). | ||
(3) The following shall be parties to a section 65 application: | ||
(a) the intending parents (or, in the case of a single intending parent, that intending parent); | ||
(b) the surrogate mother; | ||
(c) the child who was born as a result of AHR treatment provided pursuant to the permitted surrogacy. | ||
(4) A section 65 application shall be accompanied by evidence that— | ||
(a) the embryo from which the child the subject of the application was born— | ||
(i) was created using a gamete from not less than one of the intending parents of that child (or, in the case of a single intending parent of that child, was created using a gamete from that intending parent), and | ||
(ii) was not created using an egg from the surrogate mother, | ||
and | ||
(b) the child resides with the intending parents or one of them (or, in the case of a single intending parent, that intending parent) named on the application. | ||
(5) Subject to subsection (6), a section 65 application shall be made not earlier than 28 days, and not later than six months, after the day on which the child was born. | ||
(6) The court may extend the time referred to in subsection (5) if it is satisfied that— | ||
(a) there are exceptional circumstances justifying the extension, and | ||
(b) it is in the best interests of the child to do so. | ||
(7) A section 65 application in respect of a child shall only be made if any living sibling who was born as a result of the same pregnancy the subject of the surrogacy agreement concerned is also the subject of the application. | ||
(8) Without prejudice to the generality of section 66 (6) and (7), the AHRRA and the Attorney General shall be served with a copy of the section 65 application. |