Adoption of 200 children from Vietnam now in doubt

By Geraldine Gittens
Thursday November 27 2008

IRISH adoptive parents fear that Vietnam may pull out of an adoption deal which will prevent more than 200 children finding a new home in Ireland.

Some parents, who have already seen photos of the Vietnamese children they were due to adopt in the coming year, may now have their hopes dashed, the Herald can reveal.

Feared

Fears are growing since a new Adoption Bill, which is due to be published by the Department of Health and Children, will change Ireland's adoption rules, and could frazzle adoption relations with Vietnam.

Irish officials travelled to Vietnam recently to start discussions on new adoption agreements. Yet it is feared that both governments will not reach a new adoption agreement before the current agreement expires.

As a result, many Irish parents could be left without a new member to their families this year.

"The current agreement will not expire until 1 May, 2009," says the spokesperson. "One scenario is that agreement cannot be reached on a new deal. A second is that negotiations on such an agreement will not be complete by May.

The spokesperson added that both governments are aware that alternative arrangements may need to be reached.

"The Irish Government was obliged to formally notify Vietnam that there can be no automatic renewal of the agreement when the five-year term expires on 1 May, 2009," the spokesperson said.

"There have been considerable developments in intercountry adoption in Vietnam since the agreement was signed five years ago. This progress also needs to be reflected in any new agreement."

The new Adoption Bill will put Ireland in line with the Hague Convention which regulates adoption between countries.

"Under the new legislation, prospective adoptive parents will be able to adopt from countries which have also ratified the Hague Convention."

Hague

Adoptions between Vietnam and Ireland are currently regulated by a state-to-state agreement, and the spokesperson says the department now needs "to ensure that the agreement reflects the Hague Convention as comprehensively as possible".

The spokesperson added that because of the Adoption Bill, the present agreement between the two countries cannot 'roll over' in its present form.

The department will not comment on the negotiations until they are complete.

"It is not possible at this stage to give any information which could pre-empt the Government's deliberative process or interfere with the process of discussions with Vietnam."

- Geraldine Gittens