Legally enforceable 'open adoptions' sought by CPA

The provision of legally enforceable "open adoptions" would mean more babies would be given up for adoption here, a report from the Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA) suggests.

The report, co-commissioned by the Adoption Board, was carried out by Drs Valerie Richardson and Hilda Loughran of the Department of Social Policy and Social Research at University College Dublin. It involved women who had placed their babies for adoption in 2002.

The researchers conducted questionnaires with 40 adoption agencies, 80 private counsellors and in-depth interviews with 16 women - seven of whom kept their babies and nine of whom placed their babies for adoption.

A key finding of the researcher was that adoption was now rarely a choice for single mothers-to-be with a crisis pregnancy. In 2002, out of a total of 266 adoption orders made, just 76 were of Irish-born babies.

Though "open adoptions" - ie where there is some form of ongoing contact between the birth mother and the adopted child - are not legally enforceable here, eight of the women interviewed had some form of open adoption arrangement.

The report follows the High Court decision published last week in which it was held that custody of a two-year-old girl should be awarded to the couple who wished to adopt her and not her natural parents.

In his judgment, Mr Justice John MacMenamin said the adoption had originally been intended as an open one, before the natural parents had begun proceedings to have their daughter returned.

The CPA/Adoption Board report says: "Few of the women knew about the practice of open adoptions before they came into contact with an adoption worker."

The report's authors call for greater connections between crisis pregnancy counselling services and adoption counselling services. They also say some crisis pregnancy counsellors shy away from discussing adoption as an option. "This may be as a result of the backlash against adoption following disclosure of past adoption practice."

They add that the choice for most women facing a crisis pregnancy is to parent alone or to terminate the pregnancy.

Olive Braiden, chairwoman of the CPA, said open adoption arrangements could be a "real solution for a woman considering abortion. However, without the legal provision for these agreements the woman is left uncertain as to her entitlements to have contact with her child."