Leave Entitlements After Surrogacy
Currently, Ireland does not have specific statutory provisions granting maternity or adoptive leave to parents whose children are born through surrogacy arrangements. This was affirmed in the 2013 European Court of Justice decision involving an Irish teacher, Ms. Z, where it was determined that she did not have an automatic right to paid adoptive or maternity leave for a child born via surrogacy.
Despite the absence of dedicated surrogacy leave, parents through surrogacy may be eligible for other forms of statutory leave:
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Parent’s Leave: Eligible working parents can avail of 9 weeks of paid Parent’s Leave within the first 2 years following the birth or placement of a child.
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Parental Leave: Parents are entitled to up to 26 weeks of unpaid Parental Leave to care for a child under the age of 12.
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Paternity Leave: The parent not availing of adoptive leave may be entitled to 2 weeks of Paternity Leave within the first 6 months after the child’s birth or adoption.
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