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THIRTY FIVE AMERICAN-born children have been adopted by Irish families in the past four years, under an international adoption agreement.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone was briefed on the impact of the Irish-American agreement by the Irish Adoption Authority in New York today.
The authority is in the US for an annual review of the arrangement, which has been in operation since 2013.
Speaking following the briefing, Zappone said: “Every child deserves a loving and safe home – and distance should be no object in achieving that goal.”
The minister thanked the authority’s chair Dr Geoffrey Shannon and CEO Patricia Carey for their “vision to put in place our arrangement with the United States”.
She described the agreement as “the most comprehensive ever between the United States and another country”.
For 35 children from New York, Florida, California and Pennsylvania the agreement has meant a new life in Ireland. One can only imagine the hope,joy and love that each of these adoptions represents.
Zappone said most of the children are around six months old when placed with their new Irish family.
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Sure didn’t the Irish people adopt US born Zappone into the publicly funded trough.
What about babies who were sold to “good Catholic families” by the church enabled by the state? When did that start & stop? The living victims still can’t get answers about who they are & what happened to their mothers.
@Jay Lane: That practice is still up and running, just not run by the church. It costs well over €25,000 to “adopt” an American baby. Ireland only has adoption agreements with a few countries, which creates a nice competitive market for upper-class clientele.
@Jay Lane: How hurtful you are to adopted children in your sectarian hate. Adoption is a problem solver so why do you sully the integrity of the people giving adopted children a fresh start in life.
@Tom Molloy:You seem to be upset that someone is critical of what the church did here and possibly still do in many other poorer countries today. Iv no time for religions and their control of societies like what happened to countless innocent babies born to unmarried women and even teenagers here. Those mothers were forced by our God fearing state,society and especially the religious orders to give up their children and the church enriched themselves in the process.
@Tom Molloy: I’m adopted and I agree with everything said above. You clearly have no understanding of Adoption and it’s dark side.
@Tom Molloy: A problem solver? That’s ridiculous. Many problems are created because of unnecessary adoption.
In the past the mother and child homes in Ireland had a remunerative business in selling Irish babies to Irish Americans in the US.
@Fiona deFreyne: well it costs $17,000 to adopt an African American baby. What’s the difference.
@Paul Coughlan: transparency and legality with legitimate fees to the various professionals involved
The US babies are subject to a process of transparent and legal adoption.
In contrast in the mother and child scandal in Ireland involved babies forcibly taken off mothers or else the pretense that the child had died and substantial illegal inducements to the nuns involved.
Very different.
“For 35 children from New York, Florida, California and Pennsylvania the agreement has meant a new life in Ireland. One can only imagine the hope,joy and love that each of these adoptions represents”.
What a shame the liberal degenerates pushing for the the barbaric act of abortion, to be introduced here, refuse to see the benefits of all human life?
@Ray Muller: And you fuc#ers wonder why you’re accused of treating women as nothing more than incubators. Sure why don’t we take it to it’s logical conclusion and get women pregnant against their will so couples who can’t have children can take the kid….
@Ryan: That’s your argument in favour of abortion ? Wow…
@Jimmy Glass: the essence of his argument is correct even though its delivery was poor.
@Ray Muller: no there is abortion in America. These women CHOOSE to have their babies and have them adopted. This would not change in pro-CHOICE Ireland.
@Deborah Behan: Unless those people ask for surrogacy legislation. To have the honesty to say that they want to pay a volunteer to give birth for them.
It’s a pity the adoption authority couldn’t have put more energy into supporting parents wishing to adopt from African countries instead of closing down those countries to Irish prospective adoptive parents. From first hand experience the conditions these children live in is heartbreaking . Orphanages with not even clean water in many cases. The government and Adoption authorities role here was to put obstacles at every turn for people willing to give these children a second chance at life.
@jacinta caulfield: you’re right the conditions in many of those african orphanages are hellholes but I think letting irish families adopt the kids is only going to be part of the solution. Kenya has the worlds best paid politicians, other african countrys spend millions on weapons each year ..the africans need to spend money looking after &caring for there own children &give these orphans a good start in life with proper care & a decent conditions. there’s loads of money in Africa for them to do it if they only stopped filling their own pockets with money &buyin weapons
@Dean Anderson: agreed but they’re not looking after them so why just leave them there in orphanages with no hope of family life ?
@Dean Anderson: no I’m not saying to leave them.. , Irish couple & others should be let adopt them. what I’m saying is just getting them out of the awful orphanages isnt the only answer —the other side of the coin is that the africans need to start cleaning up the orphanages &spend money caring for there own instead of corruptly pocketing the money or wasting it on weapons
Jacinta, with respect, you are wrong. Barry Andrews in the last Fianna Fail govt added the clause when Ireland signed the Hague Convention of not adopting from non signatory countries, the Adoption Authority had absolutely nothing to do with it. That was all Fianna Fail.
@Jeanette McDonald: with respect it was multiple government policies that succeeded in obstructing intercountry adoptions. Francis Fitgerald and the authority fully supported the setting up of a “mediation agency” here too. Look up Parlimentary questions on that one!
Jacinta, you specifically talked about adoption authority in relation to closing down non signatory sending countries That had nothing to do with the adoption authority. It was Barry Andrews, Fianna Fail Government. Mediation agency also nothing to do with closing those countries. You need to be factually correct if you’re throwing comments out. I was caught up in that whole debacle at the time and I’m very well versed in it.
Could someone please tell the pro abortion lobby .
@Anthony Gallagher: what?
@Anthony Gallagher: What’s this pro abortion lobby you speak of? Never heard of it.
@Anthony Gallagher: yep adoption for some, abortions for others. Was there a point you were trying to make or are you trying out your passive aggressive skills?
@Anthony Gallagher: Tell the who? what exactly? That 35 lucky ones have been adopted out of the thousands of unwanted, neglected and abused children in the US. Probirth is not pro-life!
@Bevin Reilly:
So the solution to abused children is to kill them before they are born ? Right… that makes lots of sense.
@Jimmy Glass: Oh shut up with the abortion talk.They should wait for at least two months to see if the woman has bonded with her baby.If not,then go ahead and look to adopt them out.But at the moment,it’s nothing but a money racket.
@Jimmy Glass: termination of the pregnancy may be in the best interest of the pregnant woman for all kinds of reasons.
Feeding the adoption industry is not a reason to criminalise abortion, especially in circumstances in which the pregnant woman can legally avail of abortion in the UK.
@ImaLadFromWestCork: each adoption case has its own story .not all cases are like what you’ve described.
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: The majority of states in America allow mothers, who are shattered after giving birth and who are also under the influence of an epidural and various other pain medications,sign adoption papers within 12-72 hours after birth
And when a newborn white baby can sell for up to $40,000,there’s bound to be rackets going on.
The Pro abortion mob won’t like this.
@Jimmy Glass: there is no pro abortion lobby in Ireland of any significant size. There is a substantial pro choice lobby which wishes to allow pregnant women exercise their personal freedom of choice in Ireland.
In any event the 8th Amendment has no impact on domestic Irish adoption rates. It does not prevent abortions because pregnant women who desire abortions circumvent the 8th Amendment and Irish legislation by travelling to the UK for that service.
Before you post absolutely bilious comments remember a) adopted children are reading this and b) the Irish process for intercountry adoption is a lengthy and transparent process as it should be. Throwing stats from American websites that bear no relation to our process is pure ignorance.
You can buy/adopt a black American baby for around $17,000
http://www.npr.org/2013/06/27/195967886/six-words-black-babies-cost-less-to-adopt
@ImaLadFromWestCork:
Adoption isn’t buying a child! It’s giving s child an opportunity it wouldn’t otherwise have. The costs are legal and welfare fees paid to regulated entities in the US and here,
@ImaLadFromWestCork: who do you think we are Madonna!!
@ImaLadFromWestCork: holy sh!t
@Mervyn Nutley: is there no one in the US to adopt the children?
@Dave O Keeffe: From that page ; https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/06/26/adoptiondoc_enl-0e83cd57a9037fd24a0428e24b2e724930f936ff-s1400.jpg
@Mervyn Nutley: It is a money racket,where you have people nearly grabbing the newborn from the mothers arms..
@ImaLadFromWestCork: What a ridiculously outdated term Caucasian is.
@Chad Rockett: okay. Whiteys or white boys.
@Mervyn Nutley: You’re hilarious. The multi billion international Adoption industry is corrupt to the bone. Read the Child Catchers exposé and learn something about it before you comment again
Eh, not how it works from Ireland, mate. Check your facts on the Irish adoption process, it’s nothing like this.
@Fiona deFreyne: Many white American’s won’t adopt black/mixed race children, so they are placed to non US couples.
@ImaLadFromWestCork:
What’s your source for that “fact”?
@Paul J. Redmond:
I’m talking about the Hague adoption process which is open, transparent and regulated!
@Mervyn Nutley: In your dreams. The entire Adoption industry is corrupt to the bone. There’s absolutely zero oversight in relation to foreign so called Orphanages. There have been numerous exposés of children temporary placed in Orphanages by their parents who have returned to find their children have been adopted out to foreigners on receipt of a “donation” in cash. The understanding in Africa of what an orphanage is, is completely different to Ireland’s/western definition. The Hague convention only works in the West.
@Mervyn Nutley: ” Many white American’s won’t adopt black/mixed race children, so they are placed to non US couples.”
True.And,you will also find them getting lost in the Foster Care system,where you will find that they represent 60% of the 400,000 children that are currently in that system..A system where they have given criminals special waivers so that they can become “carers” to those kids,where they go on to either sexually abuse them or kill them..
@Mervyn Nutley: Adoption isn’t a guarantee of “opportunities” or a better life; only a different one. Ask an adoptee. And pitting financially superior adoptees against underempowered women/families, implying one is “better” for the child than the other is just classist. White Saviour is never a good look.
Sorry. *adopters, not adoptees.
isnt life so beutiful ,
@Christy Pop: The sectarian crowd have painted themselves into a corner and now have to call all adoptions bad or be seen for the bigots they have been in attacking the new start given to mothers and children by adoption in the past.
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