Information on adoption

Press, 10 November 1983, Page 20

Information on adoption

Sir, — S. Kennard states that in countries where adoption registers are open, only one per cent of the populace make use of it. This should read, one per cent of those involved in adoption. In New Zealand there are 500,000 such people and if only one per cent of these

wishes contact, that is 5000 people. Mr Hunt has had almost 3000 pieces of correspondence in support of his bill. Of 71 contacts undertaken by Jigsaw Inc. this year only 5 per cent were the result of a cross match (where both parties sought a meeting). Yet there has been only one refusal from the 95 per cent of people approached randomly in the community, and that came from an adopted person. Last year there were 83 contacts. Again 5 per cent were cross matched, and there were two refusals. One simply cannot assume that all people in that vast silent majority who don’t register, wish to be left alone. — Yours, etc.,

g. -R. McDonald. November 7, 1983.