Irish flock to Florida for child adoption opportunities

Figures highlight huge increase in adoptions from Ireland

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, May 27, 2012, 8:23 AM

Updated Sunday, May 27, 2012, 8:23 AM

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Childless Irish couples are flocking to Florida to adopt babies.

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Childless Irish couples are flocking to the sunshine state of Florida to adopt babies, according to new figures.

Statistics released by Ireland’s Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald reveal the increase in Florida adoptions.

The figures from Fitzgerald’s department reveal that 17 babies were adopted by Irish couples there in 2011.

The new study also highlights that more children were adopted from the US by Irish residents in 2011 than during the nine years from 2000 to 2008.

A report in the Evening Herald newspaper outlines the increase in the number of Irish parents adopting in Florida.

A spokeswoman for the International Adoption Association (IAA) told the paper that the proven track record of "transparent and ethical" processes in Florida has made the state a popular choice for Irish couples.

The spokeswoman said: “There are many reasons for this but primarily because other families have effected legal and transparent adoptions from this state and the children are very young when placed for adoption.

“It is easier to travel back and forth to Florida from Ireland than the west coast of the US.

“There is also an agency in the state which works with Irish parents and in which the applicants have confidence.”

The IAA’s Irish branch, based in Dublin, supports couples seeking to adopt from another country, according to the paper.

The report also states that the overall reduction in the number of foreign adoptions has led to calls on Minister Fitzgerald to remove the red tape blocking the way for thousands of couples.

Fianna Fail’s children’s spokesman Charlie McConalogue said: “The Hague Convention on inter-country adoption has totally changed the regime.

“There has been a very significant drop in the number of adoptions since its ratification.”

Under the new agreement, Irish residents can only adopt from countries which have also signed up to the convention or with which Ireland has a bilateral agreement but no bilateral arrangements have yet been put in place.

The Herald reports that there were 39 babies adopted from Hague-ratified countries last year, while in 2008, the total number was 397.

The 2011 figure does not include the number of adoptions from non-Hague ratified countries.

Nster.com

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culchiewoman | May 30, 2012, 10:04 AM EDT

In looking to Florida as a potential sending ‘source’, one cannot find a more abhorrent situation. As a ‘border’ (water) state, Florida is a gateway to thousands of illegals entering the U.S., largely from Latin America. And a good part of that illegal flow is equally illegally trafficked children, often outright stolen from parents with little resources or understanding, from countries like Haiti, Guatemala, Brazil, Chile and elsewhere. Florida also has an abysmal placement record even among its own citizens and many agencies operating out of the state continue to use practices such as falsifying birth certificate, allow private, ‘sub rosa’ unregulated adoptions (c.f. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman), improper vetting of prospective parents (resulting in poor placements which often leave children at risk for abuse and neglect) and, of course, sealing the original birth certificates of adopted adults in the state. It is ironic, too, that Ireland would look to the U.S. as a sending source now, considering it has hardly dealt with the aftermath of its own export of children to the U.S. from the 1940s through the 1960s.

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Portia777 | May 29, 2012, 09:47 AM EDT

AdoptAuthor. thank you. You are 100% correct. Adoption is legalized human trafficking with natural parents and needy adopters and children all used in the BUSINESS.The book THE BABY THIEF comes to mind. I bet the adopters are not told of the % of adoptees who become murderers and criminals because of the trauma endured from being separated from their natural mothers. Natural mothers are often conned into giving up their own creations, some pressurized at their weakest moments. Hitler and SS coined the phrase best interest of children- and what did he and his lot do to the children? research was done on the Lost Generation in Australia proving the damage done to natural mothers and their children in this adoption racket.The rich buy the children from the poor, so what kind of society does this? Why could we not use the money spent on adoption- billions $$$ and give it to natural families. USA also has closed adoption in many states, so children will never find their real mothers and fathers. WHY? Adopters can afford to be choosy- not any old baby will do- no deformed or druggie babies wanted, but one they can pass off as their own. If the natural mum is intellegent- even better. If she is RH- even better again. 5000 years of child slavery is enough.

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AdoptAuthor | May 28, 2012, 04:20 AM EDT

This is INSANITY! We import and export children like automobiles or any other COMMODITY. Why would the US allow their children to be adopted abroad when thousands of US citizens are adopting children from overseas every year and would gladly take these children? Why? Just one answer: one agency found a lucrative gold mine in doing BUSINESS this way! Adoption is a mega billion dollar industry that serves the needs of those with the money to pay. It is NOT serving the best needs of children to redistribute the willy nilly all over the world - taking them from their culture, language and all their extended kin. This is insane, ludicrous and should be illegal. It's no different than slavery - the sale of human being and should be outlawed. Why would any civilized society with a moral compass allow this? It makes no sense whatsoever. Claradexy - do you really think the mothers of these children are "voluntarily" and knowingly agreeing to have their children taken out of the country??? Why would they? They'll likely never have any chance of ever seeing one another again - not good for the children or the mothers. There is no justification as there is when Americans claim they are "rescuing" children who are languishing in orphanages in third world countries. THINK ABOUT IT. It makes no sense and is not the children's best interest. They are being USED to make profit for an adoption business in Florida. I wonder how much the Irish are PAYING for these kids? Americans pay $40,000 US and UP for kids. Wish the agency was named so we could check their earnings. Mirah Riben, author, THE STORK MARKET: America's Multi-Billion Dollar Unregulated Adoption Industry

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ciaradexy | May 27, 2012, 05:25 PM EDT

Hermit, theres a big difference in stealing babies from irish women to give them away and adopting a baby which was given up voluntarily.

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hermitTalker | May 27, 2012, 10:17 AM EDT

Great news, less abortions, more satisfied couples and THE birth mothers at least and fathers, especially that it is a transparent system in FL. Reversal of the not-so-long ago forced adoptions and emigration for unwed mothers from Ireland to USA and UK.

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