I rise to make a brief contribution to this debate on the Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve's Law) Bill 2021. I won't go into the bill in depth, as other speakers have done; its main components have been well-canvassed by both sides of this debate. But I do want to put on the record for my constituents my reasons for supporting this bill. From the outset, I wish to be clear that I have not come to this position quickly, I have not come to it with perfect ease, and I have not come to it without some reservations. And I'm grateful to all who provided me with counsel as I worked through the bill's merits and the challenges it presents. I absolutely respect the deeply held views on both sides of this debate. I want to state for the record my deep respect for the views of my colleagues who, for reasons of their faith or for other ethical reasoning, do not feel able to support this bill. I feel personally that I am able to reconcile my own deeply held faith with this bill, but I very much understand why others may not be able to.

These are complex questions. Indeed, they are some of the most complex questions in, and of, life. They are asked and debated not just in this chamber but in our community as well. Of course, beyond these issues, there is still so much we don't know about mitochondrial transfer. There are some risks that are impossible to quantify until research is allowed in a regulated, structured way. I understand and respect the concerns of my colleagues here, too—I do. But, on this vote of conscience, my conscience is telling me to stand for the mothers and fathers for whom this bill offers hope—hope to replace fear, hope to alleviate pain, hope to provide some comfort in their grief.

I am a mother blessed with two wonderful children, who are a miraculous and wonderful blend of my husband and me. Whilst my pregnancies weren't without their serious challenges, we never faced the heartbreaking choices that have befallen so many families who haven't been able to conceive as they had hoped they would—those who've had to turn to stressful and saddening rounds of IVF which never resulted in a baby to love and to hold; and those friends of mine who have loved, and lost, children with a genetic disease they had no idea they were a carrier for, and who had no way to prepare for or to respond to the world-shattering grief and pain that lay ahead for them when they later lost their child. If I could do anything to take that pain away, I would. For the parents who carry the burden of possibly passing on the potential for this disease to befall their children, perhaps this is what this bill will ultimately achieve—hope of taking that pain away.

This is the hope that this bill offers. As a legislator, I can see the challenges and complexities that this bill presents to us for many different reasons—for very valid reasons, which go to very deeply held beliefs, for many people. But, as a mother, as a sister, as a friend and in my good conscience, I choose to vote for the hope and the progress that this bill has the power to bring.