Synopsis – Against All Odds
A life changed forever by illegal adoption in Ireland
Illegal Adoption in Ireland – The Perfect Crime
Born in 1954 in Dublin and registered as the biological child of James and Kathleen Hiney. Theresa Hiney Tinggal was totally unaware until the age of 48 that they were not her biological parents, unknowingly living a life that was essentially living a lie. Reeling from the shock and disbelief, Theresa went on a quest to find out the truth and was stunned to discover that there were thousands like herself. It is estimated that those affected could exceed 10,000. Some may never discover their true identity.
Even though the Irish Adoption Bill came into force in 1952, astonishingly, illegal adoption continued up until the late 80s. For decades, thousands of Irish babies born to unmarried women were illegally registered/adopted. Their births were shrouded in silence, and they have been denied their true identities.
Campaigning for an investigation into illegal registration/adoption for many years, Theresa was stonewalled by successive Ministers for children despite having evidence of her illegal registration in the form of a file kept on her by the then HSE. (health service executive) now known as Tusla. In desperation to find out who who she was, Theresa took an Ancestry test and ‘against all odds’ without any paperwork she found family in Tipperary 2017.
The corruption, greed and disregard for women and children are still evident today, in the new legislation passed on 3rd Oct 2022 and lack of redress for everyone and the reluctance to entertain legal action from those affected.
My Review
Against All Odds by Theresa Hiney Tinggal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Maybe 3.5 stars. Against All Odds is the author’s story of discovering her illegal adoption and the subsequent search for her identity. Tinggal discusses her feelings of never belonging and wondering why her (adoptive) mother did not love her to the shocking discovery that she was not her biological child. A discovery that did not occur until the author was 48 – despite the fact that her family members knew the truth.
Tinggal spends a great deal of time detailing the horrors of these illegal adoptions in Ireland and the institutional forces (government and the Catholic Church) that were behind the practice. Tinggal was tireless in her search for not only her own truth but information for the many, many other people, mothers and children, impacted by illegal adoptions.
Included in the book are voices of other people impacted by Ireland’s illegal adoptions.
Tinggal takes a very negative stance towards the Catholic Church and many of the nuns who would have been involved. One of my issues with this book was that there seemed to be a good amount of speculation presented as factual (a pet peeve of mine). For example, at one point the author speculated that maybe the nuns behaved the way they did because they were jealous and wanted to be moms themselves.
Tinggal seems to have a very idealized view of her mother – despite never having the opportunity to meet her. Further, her view of motherhood is also very idealized. She made several statements that no mother would ever willingly give up her child – which we know is not the truth. Sadly, there are several stories of moms who are less than stellar.
My biggest issue with the book, however, was in the way the author colluded legal and illegal adoption. Whereas there is no debate that unlawful adoptions are reprehensible demonizing the entire process seems misguided. “Adoptive parents rarely feel privileged to have that child in their life. They feel that is is their right and no consideration is given to the birth mother………..That mother who is now living a life of bereavement. I say ‘real mother’ here because that is exactly what she will always be”. This paragraph made me quite sad. There are so many happy adoptive situations that to lump them all in this way seemed to detract from the important message of the book.
I admire the author’s tenacity and search for the truth. I learned a lot about this time period and the practices that occurred. There was a lacking of emotional connection for me as I feel the author focused more on the history and the legislation rather than ‘her story’. Overall, though, if you are interested in this time period in Ireland’s history or about illegal adoption practices this story is well worth your time.
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