An issue that cannot be easily solved

Despite laws governing inter-country adoptions, questions still remain and need constant monitoring, write Dr Aisling Parkes and Dr Simone McCaughren

THE questioning of 11 couples in Mexico in relation to an adoption scandal again highlights the deep complexities that still remain in inter-country law and practice.

This is despite Ireland formally incorporating an international agreement — the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption 1993 — into law in 2010. Although it took some time for Ireland to formally put the agreement into law, it has generally been welcomed by all of those involved in the inter-country adoption process.