Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This amendment proposes that an adopted child would be entitled to continue to have access to previous parents, guardians or non-guardians. Where a child has been adopted, the child concerned is considered, with regard to the rights and duties of parents and children in respect of each other, as the child of the adopter or adopters, and with respect to the child, the mother or guardian of the child and every non-relevant guardian of the child loses all parental rights and is freed from all parental duties in respect of the child. I also made this argument on Committee Stage. Under current practice, there are often arrangements in place for ongoing contact between birth parents and adopted persons and their families, where there is agreement by the relevant authorities.

The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016, which I published last Friday, also provides that the birth parent and adoptive parent can enter into arrangements regarding the sharing of information between both parties. This Bill will facilitate that contact. On the basis of these arguments, I do not intend to accept the proposed amendment.

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