Adopted seeking parents not criminal

ADOPTED people who attempt to contact their birth parents against their wishes, will not face criminal action under new legislation.

Junior minister for children Brian Lenihan, who wants to modernise cumbersome and out-of-date adoption laws, has decided that the new legislation will not contain criminal sanctions for any breach of a contact veto.

The minister became more convinced that adoption legislation should be kept outside the province of criminal law, after reading around 300 submissions as part of a consultation process he initiated earlier this year.