Absent(ed) mothers in Ireland and elsewhere: erasures of maternity in adoption law, policy, and literature

This chapter analyses the concept of maternal erasures in adoption law and policy, by firstly examining the way in which certain works of fiction have represented orphanisation and non-consensual infant relinquishments. It argues that Ireland’s Birth and Information Tracing Act (2022) - on the issue of maternal erasures - is a particularly relevant statute given that it excludes searching mothers from its apparently ‘open access’ remit. Likewise, it is not aimed at the easy achievement of familial reunions. Moreover, the Irish State’s long history of high-walled shaming and ill-treatment of unmarried mothers and their children offered a means of dealing with unwed motherhood and illegitimacy; it served as a model for many other jurisdictions (Canada, the US, Australia, and the U.K.). A brief look at maternal testimonies gleaned from Reports and Inquiries (e.g. on forced adoptions) held in Ireland, England and Northern Ireland is therefore also included here.