"It was only when I was about eight months pregnant that we found out that when our child was born that only I would be considered a parent and Audrey would be considered a stranger to our child."
Listening to Ranae Von Meding and Audrey Rooney tell their story, you cannot but share the same sense of disbelief that they had when they first discovered the inequalities in Irish law that meant they are not both seen as parents to their two daughters.
Like the vast majority of us who celebrated in May 2015 when the Marriage Equality referendum was passed, the couple believed that the new law automatically granted them the same rights as other married couples in Ireland. However, when they got pregnant with their daughter Ava, they found out that the reality was very different.
Under existing Irish law, only the woman who gave birth to the baby was considered to be her parent. So despite the fact that she was conceived using Audrey's eggs, Ava – and, later, her little sister Arya – does not have a legally recognised relationship with her genetic mother.
They are just one of the many LGBTQ+ families in Ireland who are denied equality under the law. It's a social justice issue that
HerFamily believes can and must be tackled as soon as possible.
Although there is new legislation promised for May that will extend rights to some LGBTQ+ parents, it will not cover every family – including Ranae, Audrey and their girls.
The couple, who are part of the Equality for Children campaign, invited us to their home and spoke about the realities of what the current legislation means for their family in a moving video. Heartbreakingly, Ranae detailed how she was forced to sign a document stating that she was a single parent in order to get passports for Ava and Arya.
The couple also made an appeal to everyone voting tomorrow, and the politicians who may form the next government, to put equal rights for all children at the top of their priorities.
You can watch the video of our
Instagram or below.
