The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has welcomed a recent High Court ruling that declared it was unlawful to prevent unmarried couples from adopting in Northern Ireland.
NIHRC Chief Commissioner Professor Michael O'Flaherty stated:
"The Human Rights Commission welcomes today's landmark ruling. Through this case the Commission has sought to protect the best interests of the child. Given the high numbers of children in care, who need a family in Northern Ireland, the importance of this case in widening the pool of prospective parents cannot be overstated. We are therefore delighted with this outcome.
"It brings Northern Ireland law in line with the rest of the UK and means that couples who are not married, those in civil partnerships and same sex couples will be now be allowed to apply to adopt. Mr Justice Treacy agreed with the Commission that preventing someone from even being considered to adopt because of their relationship status is a discriminatory practice."
There are currently over 2,500 children in the care system in Northern Ireland according to Health and Social Care Northern Ireland. Statistics obtained from the Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency state there were 134 completed cases involving adoption proceedings in April 2011 – March 2012 where guardians had been appointed.
