Media: Article: Minister Zappone confirms at least 126 illegally registered adopted

The_Conductor

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/adoption-controversy-zappone-reveals-at-least-126-babies-incorrectly-registered-36957826.html



DOZENS of people aged between 49 and 72 years old may have no idea that they were adopted.

The State has been plunged into a fresh controversy dating from the 1950s and ‘60s after it was revealed that an unknown number of adopted children were registered incorrectly.



Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone revealed that efforts are under to contact 126 people – but the true numbers are unknown.

The cases identified are linked to the former adoption society St Patrick’s Guild in Dublin.

Incorrect or ‘false’ registrations occur where a child is placed with a couple or individual who was not the parent, but the birth is then registered as if the child had been born to that couple or individual.

As a result they may believe that their adoptive parents are actually their biological parents.

Ms Zappone confirmed: “We have known about the practice of incorrect registrations for many years, but it has been extremely difficult to identify and prove in individual cases because of the deliberate failure of those involved to keep records. However, Tusla has found clear evidence in the case of some records previously held by St Patrick’s Guild.”

The Minister said that following an initial examination of around 13,500 records from St Patrick’s Guild, Tusla were able to identify the incorrect registrations because, unusually, there was a marker specifying ‘adopted from birth’ on the record.

Having cross-checked the records with those of the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the General Register Office (GRO), Tusla identified 126 incorrect registrations as follows:

79 people who have had no contact with St Patrick’s Guild and may be entirely unaware of the true circumstances of their birth;

14 people where a relative had contact with St Patrick’s Guild, but where it is not clear whether the person affected are now aware of the incorrect registration;

31 people who have had previous contact with St Patrick’s Guild and who may or may not be aware of the incorrect registration in their case

2 people who though later adopted legally, were the subject of an illegal registration initially.

The minister told a press conference in Dublin: “This is a very serious and sensitive issue. People have the right to know of their true origins and, where we have clear evidence, I believe we have an obligation to tell the people affected. Some may know already, but for others it will be entirely new and very difficult information indeed.”

The_Conductor

SPG were only one of the agencies who were renowned for this practice- there is one other organisation, who I'm not going to name- who anyone familiar with adoption circles knows were doing the exact same, alongside the other agencies who did it occasionally, but not consistently (and not very well, as some adopted people discovered to their benefit when they went to do their own searches).

Hopefully Minister Zappone is willing to do her utmost to help all adopted people discover their origins- and slay yet another church sanctioned practice in Ireland- overturning the secrecy and shame that most adoptions were shrouded in. We've been slaying a lot of our demons recently- the secrecy and shame associated with many adoptions- would be a nice follow on.............

Hermy

The secrecy and shame will only be consigned to history if they are willing to change the existing laws that prevent free and unfettered access to records for those that want them.

And what exactly is Minister Zappone to do to help these individuals. Beyond telling them that they are adopted aren't her hands tied?

mrslancaster

I personally know of two people in this situation both living in the UK since childhood. The information only surfaced on the death of 'parents' and they have been unable to get any more information from any source in ireland. Maybe things will change now.

Who was the other agency? It could be helpful to some people.

rinsjwind

About time this particular cat was let out of the bag.

For once Tusla seem to have their sh1t together, they identified this issue within the SPG records they had taken over in 2016, they confirmed the "incorrect" (or more accurately illegal) registrations with the GRO, reported it up the line to the Minister, told the cops and told the mother and baby home commission (who do have this issue hidden away in the small print of their terms of reference), OK took them the best part of two years to do all that but still not bad for tusla ;-).

They are also setting up a dedicated team to locate and inform those involved (though I don't envy them that task, potentially a lot of very difficult conversations to be had there). The minister has also promised a further investigation, with a pretty limited time span, into this matter covering other agencies and hopefully some of them were also arrogant enough to keep written records of their criminal activities!.

Of course it remains to be seen if they follow through on all this and the minister has been strangely quiet on the progress, or lack thereof, of the passage of the information and tracing bill through the oireachtas but, astonishingly, it looks they might actually be doing this right.

Cheers

Rins

Hermy

The Information and Tracing Bill won't be worth the paper it's written on.
So far as I can see it will put additional legal obstacles in our path and the parents' right to privacy will continue to trump our right to information.

The_Conductor

Hermy wrote: »

The Information and Tracing Bill won't be worth the paper it's written on.
So far as I can see it will put additional legal obstacles in our path and the parents' right to privacy will continue to trump our right to information.

Unfortunately- having gone down this path several times- I don't see why this time will be any different. I hope you're wrong- but I strongly suspect, you're not.........

pinkypinky

This is just the start of it: 126 people from a sample of 13500. It'll be a much higher number by the time they're done.

DNA testing ftw. Túsla already uses it. Some genetic genealogists I know gave lectures to their staff last year.

Hermy

DNA testing is helping but it's expensive and results are not guaranteed.
The only solution is to release to every adopted person who wants it, every last scrap of paper held about them - unredacted - and with no terms and conditions applying.
Anything less is not dealing with the issue.

mrslancaster

Hermy wrote: »

DNA testing is helping but it's expensive and results are not guaranteed.
The only solution is to release to every adopted person who wants it, every last scrap of paper held about them - unredacted - and with no terms and conditions applying.
Anything less is not dealing with the issue.

Maybe that is the plan. If information is released to the 126 people affected then how can they not give the same to legally adopted people? would that be seen as another form of discrimination - birth and biological details for some but not for others.

Hermy

Firstly, we've been discriminated against for decades so why should anything change now?

And secondly, releasing that information flies in the face of the IOT v B Supreme Court ruling so I don't expect that to happen for me or the 126 so far identified or anyone else.

But you never know - maybe this scandal is one too many.
Maybe the politicians will finally wake up to the fact that it's past time they dealt with this issue properly and gave us the access to information that we deserve.

The_Conductor

A good start would be if Tusla agreed to cover DNA testing for *all* adopted people- not just the 7-8,000 dodgy registrations- and did it immediately- as we're already 64 years down the road on this..........

Even those of us who did manage to trace a parent (almost always birthmums)- still have no idea whatsoever about our fathers and others- or very often siblings or other relatives- if our birthmums don't decide to engage with us.

The manner in which the agencies, the HSE, Tusla, the Adoption Authority, the GRO and of course the Ministers- from Brian Lenihan Jnr onwards- have engaged with adopted people- is outrageous. Yet- if adopted people complain- we're the baddies- the abuse we have had thrown at us down the years- has sapped the will of many people to actually fight for what should be considered to be basic human rights.

A lot of us here have been thoroughly dismissed and put-down, for literally decades- and even now, while the disdain may not be quite as obvious anytime we seek information, help or assistance- its still not forthcoming.