The new adoption law (The Special Act Relating to Adoption) went into
effect this month. The editorial in the Peace Weekly, raising serious
reservations about some aspects of the law, noted that there were more
than the usual number of adoptions recently, because these
adoptions could be kept secret under under the old law; this will
no longer be possible with the new law, which requires that the baby be
registered soon after birth with the mother's family name. Only after
the child is adopted will this information be deleted from the record.
Forcing the unwed mother to divulge in a public document that she has
given birth to a child can have terrifying consequences, the editorial
claims, for both mother and child, as the mother contemplates her
options in dealing with this difficult situation. That is the reason
Catholic facilities for unwed mothers are sending petitions to the
President
asking for a change in the law.
The editorial
cites an important provision of the new law: To receive the approval of
the court for any adoption, there must now be a waiting period during
which the suitability of the adopting parents is thoroughly reviewed,
and all references checked. These measures, among others, are necessary,
the editorial pointed out, to protect the rights of the child, and
should be highly praised.
However, the editorial goes on to say,
the law is not
fully considering the reality of our present situation. Because of the
new provisions to the law, there is likely to be an increase in aborted
or abandoned babies, since unwed mothers often want the birth kept
secret, not wanting their parents and friend to know, and will oppose
any registering of the child. The editorial feels that you will not find
many of the unmarried mothers
who are forced to register the child, deciding to have the child.
Either there will be an increase in abortions or there will be more
abandoned. Obviously, not a small matter for everyone concerned,
including those in government entrusted with monitoring the health of
our society.
Because of these concerns, the editorial strongly
urges that changes be made to the new law to avoid its possible negative
consequences. And no matter how good the law appears to be, the
editorial warned, when the reality of the situation is not fully seen,
problems are likely to occur. Instead of opting for more adoptions,
lowering the number of abortions, according to the editorial, should be
the motivation for any adoption law.
The
preservation of family, promoting in-country adoptions, and meeting
world standards by doing away with the dangers of child trafficking are
meritorious aspects of the new law, but the negative aspects also must
be acknowledged. It is believed by many that solving the adoption
controversy can best be accomplished by changing the cultural beliefs
and expectations of society. If we can begin to see our unwed-mothers in
a new, more compassionate way, it will be a great help in persuading
the mothers to keep their babies, rather than deciding for the terrible
choice of either aborting or abandoning their child.
