Campaigners demand full state inquiry into illegal adoptions and falsified death certs

The Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman welcomed the report into illegal adoptions, registrations and falsified death certificates, stating he would act on some of the recommendations.

Campaigners have demanded a full state inquiry into the illegal adoptions, registrations and falsified death certificates of children after a new report found the State knew about the practice for decades.

The Special Rapporteur on Child Protection Professor Conor O'Mahony has said the State was aware of the practice of illegal birth registration before any serious action was taken, and its "ad hoc, piecemeal, delayed" reaction to it "has added significantly to the trauma caused".

An independent review of a sample of records held by Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland found in 2019 that up to 20,000 adoption records could potentially relate to cases of illegal birth registration. That included the use of false names or false dates of birth, the absence of valid consent to adoption, and profiteering from adoptions.

The report also outlines the obstacles placed in people's path as they sought information about their origins.

"One factor that has exacerbated the trauma experienced by persons informed of the illegal registration of their birth was their inability to access files that would uncover the truth of their birth," the report said.

The report calls for the establishment of full State inquiry in the form of a truth commission without delay.

A further 17 recommendations are featured in the report, including the need for the State to correct the birth register and enact adoption-tracing legislation to allow unqualified access to personal information urgently.

It also calls for the Government to acquire and centralise all adoption files in one location, including files that are currently in private ownership.

Anna Corrigan, from the Tuam Babies campaign group, says an inquiry that looks at all the components around falsifying children and mothers’ documents must be established.

“There is something very sinister and very strange about only concentrating on the illegal registrations, they seem to be parsing things off into different pieces. We also have falsification of adoption papers and death certs.

“I think there should be an all-encompassing inquiry,” she said.

“It’s very difficult, because all these things interlink and they’re doing their damndest to make us believe they don’t.

Ms Corrigan was told both her brothers, born in Tuam, Co Galway died when they were babies, but no death certificate was ever issued for William, and John's death was not medically certified.

“It’s not good enough to break it down into individual parts, we’re an ageing community and we’ll be dead before we ever get answers.

“Waiting for another inquiry, I feel like they want us to die, and that’ll be the end of it.

“It’s all part of the one, they keep breaking it into micro-sized pieces.” 

Social Democrat TD Holly Cairns has echoed the call for the inquiry in light of the new report.

“The recommendation, in Dr O’Mahony’s report, for a State inquiry into illegal adoptions must be acted on immediately,” she said.

“The State turned a blind eye to this abuse for decades. It is now time to shine a light on this dark practice. The Government cannot delay in this regard. We do not need another report or consultation. We need an inquiry. It is the least that adopted people, parents and their relatives deserve.” 

The Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman welcomed the report, stating he would act on some of the recommendations, but did not commit to all 17.

The minister will establish a payment scheme to make once-off payments of €3,000 to the individuals affected by confirmed illegal birth registration in the files of St Patrick’s Guild, only. Something Sinn Féin TD Kathleen Function has called an insult.

Mr O'Gorman confirmed that he will be introducing more new measures into the Information and Tracing Bill to address the recommendations for a specialist tracing service and, in conjunction with the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, to address succession issues arising for affected persons.