Call For Empowerment Of Grassroots Adoption Groups

News Anchor Alison Comyn, Senator Averil Power

and Kathy McMahon, founder of Irish First Mothers.

Ireland Live at 10 on Thursday 22 July, 2015 with Alison Comyn.

Discussing sketchy details of a proposed Adoption Information Bill.

Alison Comyn: "Kathy McMahon, you have some 
reservations [about the proposed Bill]. What are they?"

Kathy McMahon: "As far as we are concerned our children should be given rights of access to their birth information.

"One of the things that concerns me is the fact that adopted people are going to be asked to sign a guarantee that they won't harass or invade on their parents privacy. But, you know, to be an adopted person isn't a communicable disease.

"And us mothers don't need protection from our children. At the moment reunions are going on all the time - without any bureaucracy involved.

"So the existing groups that are working on the issue, like Irish First Mothers and the Adoption Rights Alliance should be funded and empowered to continue the work that we are doing - instead of handing it over to social workers, from whom many of the mothers would shy away.

"What we need to be working on is re-connection and reconciliation. We don't need to be causing any further division. The majority of birth mothers -and there's 56 mothers in our group- want contact with their children at some level.

Alison Comyn: "And Kathy, do you think there's enough counselling services in place?"

Kathy McMahon: "I do believe there needs to be extra counselling provided. Because there isn't enough. What was offered last year when the 'Tuam Babies' issue arose, was a phone counselling service which was totally inadequate.