A Sligo councillor, whose late father was taken as a baby from his mother to an orphanage in Sligo, says a a new law which proposes to give adopted people access to their birth certificates for the first time will be good news for some.
Solidarity People Before Profit Councillor Gino O Doyle fears other people, such as those who had their birth certs falsified or who never had birth certs, may have to wait much longer.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties says the proposed law needs to be amended so that all falsified birth certs are covered and that adoptions from all institutions are included.
ICCL Executive Director Liam Herrick says identity is a fundamental human right but many people across Ireland and abroad were victims of forced and illegal adoptions — and most do not have access to their birth certs.
Cllr O Boyle has given a cautious welcome to the new law, adding that for some people, it’s an insult that this has gone on for so long.
