Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has announced that she is 16 weeks pregnant following fertility treatment and sperm donation, saying she hopes her experience will serve as encouragement for other single women and those within the LGBTQI+ community who wish to become mothers.
Ms Walsh, who has represented the Midlands-North West constituency as an MEP since 2019 and first spoke openly about her sexuality after being crowned Rose of Tralee in 2014, shared her news on RTÉ Radio 1, reports RTE.
Speaking with Brendan O’Connor, she confirmed she is 16 weeks along after undergoing fertility and sperm donation treatment, reports RTE.
She said that as a 38-year-old single woman from the LGBTQI+ community, she had long been uncertain whether motherhood would be possible for her, and had taken considerable time reflecting on what the journey would involve.
She said she decided to speak publicly about her experience because it might offer hope to other women and families going through similar circumstances, reports RTE.
Ms Walsh recalled that one consultant had dismissed her concerns by advising her, in what she described as an offensive remark, to simply go out and enjoy herself as a young woman — though she noted that her GP and a Connacht-based clinic had been extremely supportive, reports RTE.
The MEP acknowledged that she had faced some criticism online regarding changes to her appearance arising from the treatment, but said the response from the public had been overwhelmingly positive.
She confirmed that she will be taking maternity leave from her European Parliament duties later this year before returning to her role in the months that follow, reports RTE.
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