Five times more applications than babies, says adoption board

FIVE times more people are looking to adopt Irish babies than are available every year, the Adoption Board said yesterday.

This is because there has been a drastic reduction in the numbers of Irish babies being put up for adoption.

In the past two years, fewer than 100 Irish babies were put up for adoption annually because more single mothers are keeping their babies.

“This has forced most Irish couples to opt for adopting foreign babies and there are numerous countries sanctioned by us where Irish couples can go,” said Adoption Board registrar Kiernan Gildea.

Only 92 Irish babies were adopted by Irish couples last year, compared to 358 foreign babies.

The previous year, 99 Irish babies were adopted compared to 357 foreign babies.

“The majority of Irish couples would be happy to adopt Irish babies, but five times more Irish people are looking for babies than are available here and that is why inter-country adoptions are so popular now,” said Mr Gildea.

The Adoption Board is responsible for processing all domestic and foreign adoptions. Health boards recommend whether or not couples are suitable for adoption and if they are, then they either opt to go on a waiting list for an Irish child or go abroad to one of the sanctioned countries.

If a couple is seeking a baby abroad then the Adoption Board will issue them with a declaration of suitability and eligibility that they must present in the country in which they are seeking to adopt. They then register the adopted baby here once they return.

On domestic adoptions, the figures show that two-thirds of those adopted here are between families - usually a man adopting a single mother’s child if they get married or step-parents adopting children.

In 2003, there were 263 Irish adoptions - 171 of those were among families while 92 were to strangers.

But for those choosing Irish babies there are far more obstacles. Firstly, most health boards issue guidelines saying all couples applying for adoption must be under 37.

The latest advertisement from the Southern Health Board inviting applications from the Cork/Kerry region for domestic adoption states couples must be 37 or under.

The Adoption Board said no health board could impose this age cut-off point because it was contrary to the Equal Status Act to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of age.

“But in practice this is how it works out because there is a stipulation in the adoption of Irish babies which gives the birth mothers a choice over the profile of the baby’s parents - their age, interests and backgrounds and they rarely go for older couples,” said Mr Gildea.

Couples seeking to adopt Irish babies also face a huge waiting time - an average of 18 months to two years to be assessed by most health boards for suitability. After that they could be waiting another two or three years for a baby, by which time they may have gone over the age cut-off point, Mr Gildea said.

Other reasons foreign adoptions are becoming more popular with Irish couples are the absence of an age cut-off point and they generally do not have to wait as long for the baby.

The Adoption Board can be contacted on: 01-2309300