Minister rejects request for adoption inquiry expansion

Social and housing minister Sophie Hæstorp Andersen refuses a unanimous opposition desire to expand a neutral investigation of the adoption area aiming to assign responsibility. Sophie states that expanding the investigation to look into legal responsibilities would require reopening 23,000 adoption cases, which she deems nonsensical. Instead, she advocates for using resources to understand the past and ensure those adopted into Denmark get assistance with their cases. Opposition parties seek to hold Danish authorities or adoption agencies accountable for cases where children were brought to Denmark against their biological parents’ will, as shown in the documentary ‘The Great Adoption Theft’. A year ago, the Danish Parliament allocated DKK 12.6 million for a neutral investigation of international adoptions from 1964 to 2016. Opposition parties also want to extend the period until 2024, which the minister rejects. However, Andersen is open to expanding the investigation to all 69 countries of origin instead of just the top ten.