Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to speak in support of the Adoption (Amendment) Bill. The legislation is very welcome as it is progressive in its extension of the grounds for adoption. Like any legislation dealing with children, it is important that the Bill have the child at its core.

A sign that legislation is needed and supported is that it has the backing of stakeholders. Therefore, it is important that the Bill has the backing of relevant stakeholders. While I agree with the stakeholders that this legislation is long overdue, it is great to see it finally begin its journey towards being passed into law. There are many children in long-term foster care who could not be adopted before the change to the Constitution following the children's rights referendum. It is great that the Bill will work towards removing these obstacles if adoption is in the best interests of a child. Thankfully, the legislation also removes some of the barriers when it comes to adopting a child. The rights of the child seem to be prioritised, with the best interests children at heart, meaning that they will have the opportunity to be adopted and given a sense of long-term stability. As many people know, adoption provides security for children and families. For far too long, our laws have been out of step with the needs of the modern family. I hope the legislation will address this.

In the context of the history of how children were treated, the legislation is an important step, certainly one in the right direction in learning from past mistakes and the failings of the State. I do not want to overuse a phrase, but in this centenary year the legislation moves somewhat towards cherishing all children equally. The challenge for us, from here on, is to work even harder to address the other issues, of which there are many, that create inequality among children, as well as all other issues that give rise to inequality in our society.

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