30/01/2012

Barriers To Adoption A Missed Opportunity

Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on Children has welcomed indications from the Government that they are finally taking steps to improve the adoption rights of children born to married parents.

Charlie McConalogue said the hundreds of children affected should not have been forced to wait until the Government gets around to holding a Referendum on Children’s Rights for this to be addressed.

Fianna Fáil published legislation seven months ago to remove the barriers to adoption for children born to married parents. The Fianna Fáil Bill, which was debated in the Dáil on 28 June last year, would have allowed the Government to hold a Referendum alongside the Presidential election last October to immediately allow for the adoption of hundreds of children who are currently in care.

Deputy McConalogue said: “I am relieved to see that the Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald now recognises the need to take specific action to address the anomaly in relation to adoption rights for children of married parents. This is something that she and her Government could have done months ago.

"There was no need to wait until the wider Children’s Referendum to address this problem. Fianna Fáil published legislation last summer that enjoyed widespread support and could have immediately resolved this non-contentious issue."

(DW)

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