Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will address the judgment briefly. The Minister stated that all duties of the natural parents were ended on the adoption placement. I remember the day of the adoption order in my first child's case. It was explained to us as a couple. I thought to myself that I would be naive in the extreme if I believed that a child's basic need to know his or her backstory - as Senator van Turnhout mentioned, it becomes a deep yearning as the child gets older - ended on that day. It is not like that. Just because a child is placed with a fine family does not mean he or she will not wonder why he or she was placed for adoption or given up. These questions must be answered directly at some stage.

We have been careful in the balancing of rights in this amendment. The courts have stated clearly that this is a matter for the Oireachtas to determine. Why do we not do it together? The process is carefully managed, that being, the right to basic information as on the birth certificate followed by managed contact, if that is the wish of the birth mother, and some counselling. This would be so much better than, for example, Senator van Turnhout or myself finding out only because we have unusual names. That would be far from a managed process. Indeed, it would be very dangerous and could hurt many people. That the Adoption Authority would take over the process and assist people on their journeys would give a sense of relief to the adopted person or the natural mother. People deserve that.