Ireland Rocked With Adoption Scandal After Government Inquiry

Last month, shockwaves were sent through Ireland after a government inquiry revealed the systematic falsifying of birth certificates to make it appear as if adoptive parents were birth ones. This inquiry was only into one of the country’s adoption agencies, but revealed that at least 126 children were affected. These adoptions occurred between 1946 and 1969 - when the Roman Catholic Church wielded significant influence in Ireland. Those adopted children are now in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, and most of them have no idea that they were adopted.

Saint Patrick’s Guild Responsible For At Least 126 Falsified Birth Certificates

This particular inquiry was made into St. Patrick’s Guild, an adoption society run by the Sisters of Charity. St. Patrick’s Guild was one of at least seven adoption agencies in Ireland during the time period where the false birth certificates were written. This organization arranged roughly 13,500 adoptions between 1946 and 1969. In at least 126 of these adoptions, the child’s adoptive parents’ names were written on their birth certificates.

Why Were Birth Certificates Falsified?

As mentioned above, Ireland was once (and still is, but to a lesser extent) an extremely Catholic nation. During this time, unwed mothers were treated extremely unfairly, as there was a major cultural stigma associated with having a child out of wedlock. This meant that expectant mothers, their families, and even organizations like adoption groups went to great lengths to cover up the pregnancy.

Single and pregnant women in Ireland during this time period were strongly pressured to consider adoption. The birth certificates were most likely falsified out of a sense of shame and to discourage the adopted child from discovering the truth about their history.

Irish Government Apologizes

In May, the Irish government formally apologized to the mothers and children affected by this scandal. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar apologized in Parliament for the secret adoptions and pledged that the government would do everything in its power to contact all parties affected to tell them the truth about their birth.

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