Guest Post: Nic Suibhne on the Adoption Bill 2009

We are delighted to welcome this guest post from Brid Nic Suibhne on the Adoption Bill 2009. Brid is a researcher at the Law Reform Commission but this post is contributed in a personal capacity.

Adoption legislation in Ireland has been referred to an “incomprehensible jigsaw” encompassing seven pieces of legislation.[1] In 2003 the government announced a review of adoption law, to take account of the social and economic changes which had occurred since the principal act of 1952. Following an open consultation, the Adoption Bill was published in January 2009 and is moving through the various stages of the legislative process.[2] This recent attempt to clarify the law, by incorporating the previous adoption acts into one piece of legislation is much welcomed[3].

In relation to both domestic and intercountry adoption, section 19 of the Bill states that in any matter, application or proceeding before the Adoption Authority or any court, the welfare of the child is regarded as the first and paramount consideration. It is imperative that the child is at the centre of the adoption process and the emphasis is on providing a child with a suitable family, rather than providing a family with a child.