Ms Mari Steed:

I would like to address it from a different angle. In addition to being an adopted adult from Ireland, I am also a mother of adoption loss. I am, therefore, very keenly aware of both sides of the equation. A right to privacy is not the same thing as a right to anonymity, which is sort of what the Senator is suggesting. We do not have a right to be anonymous to our children. We have a duty to be accountable to them and give them their identity, right to information and right to early-life care. I would never do that to my daughter irrespective of whether I want a relationship with her or she wants one with me. It is also important to point out that it is not always mothers who may not want the contact but adopted people as well.

That contact preference can cover both needs and it does so-----