Limerick councillor calls for urgent action on the rights of adopted people

INDEPENDENT councillor  John Loftus has called for urgent action at national level to give adopted people their full rights.

At a meeting of the council on Monday, he called for the council to write to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine  Zappone and her department, “requesting/demanding”  that adoptees get access to their own information on health, history and heritage “in line with the equality and personal autonomy rights of other citizens.”

He wanted, he said, to raise awareness of the challenges facing adoptees, who have “no ownership of their own identity” contrary to international norms and medical best practice. “They have no automatic right to their own birth certs,” he said. “And no access to their biological family history.”

“This has been discussed in the Dáil several times. We were promised legislation but it still hasn’t happened,” he said.

Sinn Féin’s Cllr John Costello seconded the motion”as an adoptee from Ross Abbey, Roscrea” in the late 1960s. “My biological mother managed to trace me recently,” he revealed.

“You need closure on these things.” The issue was urgent, he argued as a biological mother could pass away and the information and opportunity would be lost.

information would be gone forever.  

XBut he deplored the fact that just 12 or so councillors remained in the council chamber by the time it came to his motion.