AdoptionIreland: The Adopted People's Association of Ireland has always seen its primary mission as promoting the dignity and rights of adult adopted people. However, we also keep a watchful eye on adoption legislation and practise affecting minors. It is our belief every effort should always be made to keep a child within his family and country of origin. We advocate sponsorship or legal guardianship arrangements — which do not destroy records of identity and ties to heritage as adoption does — before a formal adoption plan is ever considered. Adoption should always be about finding homes for children who truly need them, and not about finding children for homes that lack them.

Sadly, many couples seeking to "solve" infertility issues often turn to extraordinary means to procure a child. And in light of radically declining numbers of children available for adoption in Ireland, many adopters have sought resources outside the country, a practise known commonly as Intercountry Adoption (ICA). We recognize and applaud the many couples who legitimately want to offer their homes and love to children who are truly orphaned and who have no other viable means of in-family placement. These same adoptive families are generally also not concerned with variables such as the age of the child, their health issues, or other factors and simply offer themselves unconditionally and for the right reasons.

However, the majority of couples seeking to adopt want an infant and unfortunately, a supply market has arisen over the years to feed that demand. More tragically, this market generally tends to operate in the "black" or "gray" area of legality, and children are often exchanged for amounts exceeding €50,000. These are not orphaned children, nor are they victims of neglect or abuse or war. Most often, the cause of relinquishment is crushing poverty, an obstacle easily surmounted, especially when one considers the exorbitant fees paid by willing adopting parents.

Many Irish families considering ICA don't even realise that Ireland itself was complicit in a baby-trade scheme that spanned the 1940's-1960's. More than 2,000 documented children were sent to the US, Canada, UK and elsewhere as an answer to the societal and religious stigma against unwed motherhood, as well as poverty. And these are just the documented cases. No one truly knows how many children were sent outside Ireland, particularly prior to the 1952 Adoption Act.

In view of the large numbers of sending countries who have not yet ratified the Hague Convention on Intercounty Adoption (the international practice standards established for all adoptions) and the mounting evidence of illegally-obtained relinquishments, suspect placements, and general bad ICA practise, AdoptionIreland has committed to watch-dog, report, and expose as many of these egregious incidents and practitioners as possible. We believe that our mission extends not only to the adults we represent, but also to the children who have no voice at present.

The links at left will be expanded as we compile more data. But please feel free to visit these links and learn more about Intercountry Adoption from our various media, research resources, and links.

If you are considering Intercountry Adoption and want to know more, or just have questions in general, please feel free to email info@adoptionireland.com.