Am simply astonished at the tone of this entire debate, which is so adult & prospective adoptive parent(PAP) focused, that one has to pinch oneself to remember that we are talking abt the removal of vulnerable children from vulnerable families in countries with long histories of offical corruption & bribery. Re the Minister Fitzgerald's comment that "Uniquely, we have introduced strict legislation requiring a bilateral agreement. This led to the dramatic decrease in the number of adoptions despite a high level of demand"; there we have it a clear admission that Minister Fitzgerald is concerned abt serving the demands of her adult constituents, rather than focusing on the avoidence of child trafficking and forced adoption, rife in this country for decades due to lack of official oversight & lack of regulation. I also notice what I would describe as a note of regret? annoyance? in Minister Fitzgerald's comment abt bi-lateral agreements being required for intercountry adoption where a country has not ratified the Hague Convention. On reading this, I have the strong impression that Minister Fitzgerald would rather dispense with pesky legislation & allow PAPs to adopt from any source they liked. I am certain this will come back to haunt her.
Susan Lohan
Posted on 20 Mar 2014 1:43 pm
Am simply astonished at the tone of this entire debate, which is so adult & prospective adoptive parent(PAP) focused, that one has to pinch oneself to remember that we are talking abt the removal of vulnerable children from vulnerable families in countries with long histories of offical corruption & bribery. Re the Minister Fitzgerald's comment that "Uniquely, we have introduced strict legislation requiring a bilateral agreement. This led to the dramatic decrease in the number of adoptions despite a high level of demand"; there we have it a clear admission that Minister Fitzgerald is concerned abt serving the demands of her adult constituents, rather than focusing on the avoidence of child trafficking and forced adoption, rife in this country for decades due to lack of official oversight & lack of regulation. I also notice what I would describe as a note of regret? annoyance? in Minister Fitzgerald's comment abt bi-lateral agreements being required for intercountry adoption where a country has not ratified the Hague Convention. On reading this, I have the strong impression that Minister Fitzgerald would rather dispense with pesky legislation & allow PAPs to adopt from any source they liked. I am certain this will come back to haunt her.