Liz Trinder examines the ethics of post-adoption intermediary services on behalf of the birth relatives of adults who were adopted as children. Intermediary services can be seen as an attempt to equalise the rights to search of birth relatives and adopted people. They also reflect wider beliefs about the importance of genealogical information and openness. By their very nature, however, intermediary services dispense with the informed consent of those who are contacted, may cause upset or harm and potentially breach confidentiality and privacy. Although a recent study indicates that a majority of adopted people find the intermediary services to be acceptable, this article argues that the rights of minorities must be respected and upheld. The apparently neglected Adoption Contact Register is put forward as a better alternative.
