Geraldine Rea and Niamh O’Sullivan are the first same-sex couple in Ireland to both be recognised as legal parents on their child’s birth certificate, after giving birth to twin girls seven weeks ago.
The Child and Family Relationships Act came into effect last year, allowing lesbian couples who conceived using a fertility clinic to both be named as legal co-parents, meaning either one can give medical consent or school permissions for the child.
A Pride parade in IrelandPrior to the 2020 act, same-sex female couples were required to go through a court process in order for them both to be legally recognised on their child’s birth certificate.