Sir, - We agree with the view expressed by Kieran McGrath in his article "Adoption must be to benefit children, not childless adults" (Opinion, November 11th).
One caller to a live national radio show said: "We, as an infertile couple should have been facilitated to adopt a baby from abroad." The concept of what can be done to help these children develop to their full potential within their natural families, cultures and countries was seemingly alien to the caller.
This mentality of putting the needs of Irish infertile couples first regardless of the needs of the child, the child's parents, the child's extended family and indeed the child's country of origin is obscene and must be condemned.
Recently complaints of long and over intrusive adoption assessments have been made (we note, however, that no evidence of malpractice has been provided by the claimants). Although proper assessments are vital, there seems to be a reluctance to discuss the bigger issues involved in "foreign adoption" - i.e. the sale of, the trafficking in and the abduction of children for commercial international adoption, all of which have been well documented, researched and reported.
The sad reality is that in poorer countries children are being stolen, tricked or bought from their natural parents to fill the demand for adoptable children for the wealthy West. In Russia, Hungary, Ukraine, Guatemala, Taiwan and Paraguay, to name just a few countries, very serious charges, trials and convictions have taken place or are currently pending.
We all remember the horrific TV pictures of the orphanages in Romania. Despite years of viewing TV pictures depicting the plight of millions of dying, starving children in Africa, we rushed through legislation to allow Irish couples "rescue" the Romanian children. International research proves that 80 per cent of the children adopted from Romania did not come from orphanages.
There is now a multi-million dollar adoption industry which has reduced children to mere commodities. Children are traded on the world market for thousands of pounds apiece to satisfy the demands of adoptive parents. The stark reality is that if some adoptive parents were not prepared (nor allowed) to pay these huge fees the market simply would not exist.
Irish couples will pay anything from £10,000 to £20,000 in so-called "administrative charges" to adoption facilitators or foreign adoption agencies to adopt a child from abroad. Yet numerous Irish Third World development agencies can offer a child an education, food, natural family security and even a monthly progress update to the child sponsor for as little as £10 per month. Just think what these agencies could do if they received £20,000 from all those who claim to have the child's best interests at heart?
The only way forward on this issue is through the ratification of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children in respect of inter-country adoption. The Minister responsible for adoption, Frank Fahey, TD, needs to ensure that the enabling legislation is stringent and is enforced rigidly. This will provide proper protection to all children subject to inter-country adoption and it will ensure that natural parents' rights are not violated. It will also have the added benefit of reassuring prospective adoptive parents participating in future inter-country adoptions that they will be effected to the highest ethical standards possible. - Yours, etc., Kevin Cooney, Research & Information Officer, Adoptive People's Association,
Templeview Green, Clare Hall, Dublin 13.