The mission of Adoption Rights Alliance is to advocate equal human and civil rights for those affected by Ireland's closed secret adoption system. 


“In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage — to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning . . . and the most disquieting loneliness.”

Alex Haley, Author of Roots



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News........

19th April 2012

Priority Question on Illegal Adoptions

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party):

Question 90: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to the his response to questions on access to and safeguarding of records of de facto illegal adoptions (details supplied), the number of such records held by the Health Service Executive; the number of cases that were identified in the audit, relating to the pre-1952 period and the number that relate to the post 1952 Act period; the number of cases believed to contravene the Adoption Act(s) that have been notified and to which appropriate authorities; when these cases were notified to these authorities and the reports she has received regarding actions taken on foot of the notification of the contravention of the Adoption Act(s).

Click here to read the response from Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald

Adoption body still refers tracing clients to unaccredited agency
The Adoption Authority is still referring adopted people tracing their natural parents to an agency that is not legally allowed provide any related service.

Click here to read this Irish Examiner article by Conall Ó Fátharta from May 14, 2012

Adoption Rights Alliance Statement Regarding Closed Adoption Agencies

The AAI have known since the enactment of the new Adoption Bill in November 2010, that several religious run adoption agencies, including St Brigids, the Coombe, were closing and that their records would be inaccessible to people searching for their families until they could be taken over by the HSE or by the Authority itself.

We are gravely concerned that a year and a half later, neither of these state funded bodies has seen fit to create an efficient process for the safeguarding of these vital files and the provision of continued access to them for search and reunion services. If such a complete shutdown of any other public service occurred, there would be national outcry. 

These files are adopted people’s only source of family information and without them the tracing and reunion process is impossible. These completely avoidable delays - during which in our experience, people will inevitably die - send a clear message to adopted people and natural parents that once again they are simply not a priority.

Susan Lohan and Claire McGettrick pointed out that all of this distress would be completely preventable if any of the governments over the last 60 years had the humanity to recognise the rights of adopted people to know their own identities and had legislated for information rights as enjoyed by our peers in the UK since the 1970s. They called on the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald to expedite legislation to provide full retrospective information rights so vital for those caught up in Ireland’s closed, secret and forced adoption system.

First encounters
EVANNE NÍ CHUILINN is an RTÉ sports broadcaster, presenter and columnist for Irish-language newspaper Foinse. She has been nominated Columnist of the Year in the Oireachtas Media Awards. Winners will be announced next Friday. Evanne, who is from Kilkenny, lives in Drimnagh with her partner Brian Fitzsimons and six-week-old son Séimí 

‘I WAS BORN on Hallowe’en night, 1981, and Mam and Dad got me in early 1982. There was never a time I didn’t know I was adopted. They had this mantra: ‘You’re our special adopted daughter.’ They were open to my curiosity, nurtured my wish to know my birth mother, Mary. They wrote letters to the adoption agency updating my progress. And Mary had always sent gifts on my birthday, signing them ‘from Mary’ – it was very respectful of my mam, which I appreciated. She had named me Eva and my parents honoured that and added Anne to my name, after Dad’s mother.

Click here to read this Irish Times article by Frances O'Rourke 

20th April 2012

Press Release:  Adoption Rights Alliance strongly condemns Mulherin comments
Adoption Rights Alliance (ARA) which advocates for equal human and civil rights for those affected by Ireland's system of forced, secret adoption today strongly condemned comments made by Michelle Mulherin FG TD, during the Dáil debate on an abortion bill proposed by Clare Daly TD. 

Click here to read more

‘Unwanted pregnancies caused by fornication’
A Government TD has blamed "fornication" as the single biggest cause of unwanted pregnancies and questioned what damage the sale of condoms has done to society.

Click here to read this Irish Examiner article by Juno McEnroe

Fornication the 'cause of unwanted pregnancies'
FORNICATION WAS the single greatest cause of unwanted pregnancies in Ireland, Mayo Fine Gael TD Michelle Mulherin said.

Click here
to read this Irish Times article by Michael O'Regan

Abortion debate: Single Mayo TD Michelle Mulherin defends ‘fornication’ remarks
TAOISEACH Enda Kenny's constituency colleague has defended her controversial "fornication" comments during a Dail debate about abortion.

Click here to read this Irish Independent article by Fionnan Sheahan

 


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Adoption Rights Alliance is a completely voluntary, non-funded organisation.  If you would like to make a donation to help cover our expenses you can send a cheque to: 

Adoption Rights Alliance
The Mill House,
Millview Road,
Malahide,
Co. Dublin

 

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The Mill House, Millview Road, Malahide, Co. Dublin
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