Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

The Minister of State made reference to the specific circumstance I was addressing in amendment No. 49 where the applicant is a spouse of the mother or father of the child in circumstances where, for example, a couple, the husband or wife of which is widowed at an early stage in the marriage and has a young child. There is a similar issue as to whether if the widow or widower remarries the new spouse should be entitled to have all of the parental rights that would normally attach to a biological parent. It is another anomaly in the law that in those circumstances an adoption cannot be effected. This proposal is designed to address that issue.

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