Ireland Said Yes

Recorded in June 2025, Shane chats to campaigner Ranae von Meding about their ongoing fight for equality for LGBT parents in Ireland and the legal limbo that many queer Irish families often find themselves in, as parents struggle for recognition if they have children through donor conception or surrogacy.

After a lengthy delay, the Oireachtas joint committee on health made recommendations in October 2025 on its report on pre-legislative scrutiny of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) (Amendment) Bill. The committee made 18 recommendations in total, including that the bill must include a process to recognise the parentage of those who had children through surrogacy while domiciled abroad. The report stated that provision should also be made to offer a path to parenthood for Irish citizens returning home who are in same sex relationships and whose children were both conceived and born abroad in countries that don’t recognise both same sex parents. Strikingly, the committee also recommended that there should be a path to parenthood for children of same sex female couples who are conceived outside of clinical settings. This is a scenario which to date, the government and the Minister for Health has currently rejected, despite it being the lived reality of many members of the LGBT community.

More updates on Ranae's campaign, please visit: https://www.instagram.com/equalityforchildren

Ireland Said Yes is an Onic Original.

Written and Presented by Shane Daniel Byrne.

Developed and Produced by Paul Macgregor, Series Producer.

Audio design, mixing, and sound editing - Fionn O'Brien and Paul Macgregor. 

Visual design - Stephen King O'Farrell and Conor Daly. 

News archive, courtesy of RTE, Virgin Media, BBC, Channel 4 News, CNN, Euronews, Getty Images and Associated Press. Archive images and video courtesy of Getty Images. 

Music and sound effects courtesy of Audio Network and Epidemic Sound. 

Legal Counsel - Hugh Hannigan and Claire Telford. 

Executive Producer - Sasha Hamrogue.