39Consents to be construed as general consents

39 Consents to be construed as general consents (1) Subject to subsection (2) and except as provided in section 37, a consent to the adoption of a child shall, for the purposes of this Act, be construed as a consent to the adoption of the child by any person or persons on whose application an adoption order may be made under this Act in respect of the child and shall be a valid consent notwithstanding that an application in respect of the child has not been made or contemplated or, if application has been so made, that the person giving the consent does not know the identity of the applicant or applicants. S. 39(2) amended by Nos 72/1997 s. 12(a), 68/2015 s. 10. (2) A consent to the adoption of a child by a relative of the child, or by a spouse or domestic partner of a parent of the child, shall be construed as a consent to the adoption of the child by that relative or spouse or domestic partner only. No. 7147 s. 25.