A recommendation of an upper age limit of 45 years for adoptive parents has been described as "ageist and discriminatory" by the International Adoption Association (Ireland) (IAA).
The association, which represents up to 2,000 parents involved in overseas adoptions, yesterday said that it was "totally opposed" to the imposition of upper age limits.
IAA chairman, Mr Kevin O'Byrne, told the association's annual conference that adoptive parents already had to meet a set of strict criteria and an upper limit was unnecessary.
He pointed out that it could take up to three years for a couple to be declared eligible to adopt abroad and it could take another year to 18 months for them to bring a child into their home.
The couple could be over the age limit by the time they completed the process, Mr O'Byrne added.
He said Government cutbacks meant that the situation would worsen as there were not enough social workers to assess applications.
1,745 children were adopted from abroad between 1991 and the end of 2002. The most popular countries for adoptions have been Russia, China, Romania and Thailand.
The Department of Health is currently reviewing all adoption legislation.
In response to a request for submissions from interested parties, the Government-established Adoption Board, which regulates adoption, recommended "an absolute upper limit" of 45 years, unless the person was related to the child.
While current legislation does not impose an upper age limit, many adoption agencies and health boards impose their own restrictions
By the time a couple in their late-30s discover they cannot have children, they are often too old to begin the adoption process, particularly for domestic adoptions.
Solicitor, Mr Geoffrey Shannon, was asked by the Government earlier this year to draw up a working document on the legislation.
The document pointed to a 1999 report which recommended an upper age limit of 42 years, mirroring the age profile of birth mothers in this State.
While recommending a limit of 45 years, the Adoption Board stated that certain concessions be made where a large age gap existed between two partners, so that the younger partner was not discriminated against.
"As a general guideline, the board also believes that 42 years should be the maximum age differential between the applicant and the child," the Adoption Board stated.
Dr Dana Johnson, co-director of the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota said adoptive parents needed help in dealing with an array of emotional and behavioural issues which typically arose in institutionalised situations.
Yesterday's conference also marked the first "International Adoption Day" in Ireland.
