Material in this file, labelled "6th Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1978", relates to a Private Members Bill, put forward by the Labour party "in an attempt to place beyond any doubt the constitutional validity of… (a) Adoption orders and other decisions made by the Adoption Board...(b) the provisions of the 1974 and 1976 Adoption Acts which place the child's welfare first in cases of custody disputes", and includes background document for Labour Party press conference given by Frank Cluskey, TD [Teachta Dála, member of Dáil Éireann, lower house of Irish parliament], Leader of Labour Party, 22/06/1978; extract of address/article by Mary Robinson "Adoption: A Missed Opportunity" on procedure to amend constitution, 197[8?]; copies of Sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1978 as initiated; speech by Minister for Justice at 2nd stage of 6th Amendment of the Constitution (Adoption) Bill [Government's own Bill subsequently?]; handwritten note "the Dept of Justice thinking on the adoption of legitimate children today is on a par with the Dept of Justice thinking on the adoption of illegitimate children 40 years ago", n.d., writer unknown; copy of Sixth Amendment of the Constitution (Adoption) Bill, 1978 as initiated; order paper for Seanad Éireann [upper house of Irish parliament, Senate], 07/03/1979, including hearing of Bill.