Right to information sought

Yesterday's Supreme Court judgment brought calls for swift action by the Government to provide adopted persons with rights to…

Yesterday's Supreme Court judgment brought calls for swift action by the Government to provide adopted persons with rights to information about their origins.

A Dublin Fianna Fail TD, Ms Marian McGennis, who is herself adopted, said she would table a motion at the next ail parliamentary party meeting. It would press for adopted people to be given a right to their original birth certificate and for the immediate establishment of a contact register.

Mr Owen Keenan of Barnardos called for prompt action by the Government on information.

The High Court found that two informally adopted women did not have an absolute right to know the identities of their birth mothers but that the birth mothers did not have an absolute right to anonymity.

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"The Government has an absolute obligation to act on foot of this judgment," Ms McGennis said. It was an "absolute disgrace" that it had been left to private citizens to bring the issue to the courts.

The matter should be dealt with by legislation so as to "take this out of the hands of adoption societies, who in some cases are very good and in some cases are appalling."

Mr Keenan said the Minister of State for Health and Children, Mr Frank Fahey "said some time ago that he had plans for reform of the adoption area but that he was being held up by the need to wait for the Supreme Court judgment."

"Now we look forward to the Minister's assurances that there will be action in the near future."