Mixed reaction to proposed law on adoption

There has been a mixed response to the Government’s planned legislation on adoption, information, and tracing.

Co-founder of the Adoption Rights Alliance (ARA) Susan Lohan said the legislation as it stands would impose statutory-based discrimination against adopted people.

“We cannot possibly endorse what we have seen of the proposals, as outlined by the minister and his officials, as in some circumstances adopted people will be forced to sign away their rights in a way that further marginalises them on a statutory basis,” she said.

ARA co-founder Claire McGettrick pointed out that adopted people can already use the civil records in the General Registrar’s Office to obtain their birth certificates and that additional barriers, “such as an information veto and a statutory declaration that one will respect one’s natural mother’s privacy, are wholly unnecessary and offensive to adopted people”.

However, Paul Redmond of the Coalition of Mother and Baby Homes said the statutory declaration was “absolutely meaningless”, as there would be no sanctions taken against those who do not abide by it.

“ This is a great victory for all the campaigning groups and a new era has dawned in Ireland for openness and co-operation between the Government and the survivor community,” he said.

Mr Redmond said the legislation would allow not just for the release of birth certs, but information from adoption files, basic medical information and history.

Senator Averil Power, an adoptee who published an information and tracing bill earlier this year that was passed by the Seanad, said she was “concerned” about sections of the bill and said the right to identity should not be subject to unfair conditions. She also said it was “unnecessary and offensive” that adoptees would only get access to their birth certs after they sign a statutory declaration agreeing to respect their parent(s)’ wishes regarding contact, a condition she said had been criticised by groups representing both natural mothers and adopted adults.

The Adoption Authority of Ireland described the legislation as a “comprehensive, progressive and child-centred”.