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Refused your birth
certificate by the Adoption Authority? Click
here to learn how to locate it for yourself.
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Mission
Statement and Ethos of Adoption Rights Alliance (ARA)
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The
mission of Adoption Rights Alliance is to advocate equal human and
civil rights for those affected by the Irish adoption system.
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We
acknowledge the negative effects of closed secret adoption imposed
upon adopted people and natural parents.
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We
believe that adoption should only ever be in the best interests of
children and should never be closed and secret.
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We
recognise that the adopted person is the adult voice of adopted
children.
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We
hold the interests of adopted children and adopted people as
paramount.
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We
are committed to enabling continuous peer support and empowering our
members with regard to adoption related issues.
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We
strongly advocate the unconditional opening of adoption files to
adopted people who have reached the age of eighteen years.
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We
recognise that adoption files held by Irish adoption agencies,
Health Service Executives and the Adoption Board are part of the
natural family heritage arbitrarily and unjustly taken away from
adopted people.
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ARA
strongly disagrees with and finds totally unacceptable the actions
of the State, the Minister for Health and Children, the Department
of Health and Children, the Adoption Authority, the Adoption
Agencies, the Health Service Executives, Social Workers and members
of the religious orders, in their ongoing policy of withholding
files belonging to adopted people.
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ARA
totally disagrees with the denial of information to adopted people
under any guise, legislative or otherwise; past, present or future.
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ARA
asserts that there is no shame in giving life nor in being born –
no matter what the circumstances and ARA disassociates itself from
any stigma associated with adoption.
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We
advocate the abolition of closed secret adoption and advocate the
research and development of more ethical child centred alternatives
for children who genuinely need homes.
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ARA
is independent of all political and religious organisations and
works actively to promote the rights and interests of adopted people
in Ireland.
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ARA
carries out its work in a democratic, non-discriminatory and
inclusive manner.
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ARA’s
work is carried out on a not-for-profit basis.
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All
activities are carried out in accordance with the aims and
structures set out in the ARA Constitution.
Those aims apply to the internal structures, processes,
activities and decision-making procedures and to the external
business of ARA.
Click the links for
our Mission
Statement, Aims
& Objectives
and Public
Disclosure Statement


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“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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