Helen McEntee advises Irish parents using surrogates in Ukraine not to travel

She is advising parents to stay at home.

Over the last few weeks tensions have been rising between Russia and Ukraine. In the last couple of days, embassies have been advising those from other countries living in Ukraine to return to their home country. Similarly, many are being advised not to travel to Ukraine. Among those advising this is Minister for Justice and Equality Helen McEntee, who just today tweeted advice for Irish families who have surrogates living in Ukraine. McEntee tweeted today, stating that those living in Ireland who have surrogates in Ukraine should remain at home and stay in contact with their surrogate via the Irish Foreign Ministry;

"If you are in Ukraine, please follow @dfatirl advice and leave immediately. Please don’t travel to Ukraine, anyone who was due to travel for surrogacy reasons, please stay in contact with @dfatirl. Irish citizens requiring emergency assistance should contact +353-1-4082000."

 

If you are in Ukraine, please follow @dfatirl advice and leave immediately. Please don’t travel to Ukraine, anyone who was due to travel for surrogacy reasons, please stay in contact with @dfatirl. Irish citizens requiring emergency assistance should contact +353-1-4082000.

— Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) February 13, 2022

Similar surrogacy issues arose during the start of the pandemic when worldwide lockdowns meant parents using surrogates in a foreign country could not collect their newborns. In some cases the surrogate mothers ended up raising the children for over a year before they could be return to their parents. It is unclear what the tensions between Russia and Ukraine will mean for Irish families who may have surrogates in Ukraine but we will keep you updated on any further developments regarding the issue.