Cessation of certain orders, etc.
to consent or give notice of dissent to marriage, shall be extin- guished, and all such rights, duties, obligations and liabilities shall vest in and he exercisable by and enforceable against the adopter as if the infant were a child born to the adopter in lawful wedlock; and in respect of the matters aforesaid the infant shall stand to the adopter exclusively in the position of a child born to the adopter in lawful wedlock.
(2) In any case where two spouses are the adopters, the spouses shall in respect of the matters aforesaid, and for the purpose of the jurisdiction of any court whatsoever to make orders as to the custody and maintenance of and right of access to children, stand to each other and to the infant in the same relation as they would have stood if they had been the lawful father and mother of the infant and the infant shall stand to them respectively in the same relation as to a lawful father and mother respectively.
(3) For the purpose of the law relating to marriage, an adopter and the person whom he has been authorized to adopt under an adoption order shall be deemed to be within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity; and the provisions of this subsection shall continue to have effect notwithstanding that some person other than the adopter is authorized by a subsequent order to adopt the same infant,
13. (1) Where an adoption order is made in respect of an infant who is illegitimate, then, subject to the provisions of this section, any order or agreement whereby the father of the infant is required or has undertaken to make payments specifically for the benefit of the infant, shall cease to have effect, but without prejudice to the recovery of any arrears which are due under the order or agreement at the date of the adoption order.
(2) Where an infant to whom any such order or agreement as aforesaid relates is adopted by his mother, and the mother is a single woman, the order or agreement shall not cease to have effect by virtue of subsection (1) upon the making of the adoption order, but shall cease to have effect if she subsequently marries.
(3) Where an adoption order is made in respect of an infant in respect of whom an order is in force under section 35 of the (1 of 1961) Protection of Women and juveniles Ordinance, 1951, committing the infant to the care of a person or institution, or under section 36 of that Ordinance regarding the control and custody of the infant, the last mentioned order shall cease to have effect,
Where an adoption order is made in respect of an infant of whom the legal guardianship is vested in the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs shall cease to be the legal guardian of the infant.
settlements
14. (1) Where, at any time after the making of an adoption Intestaciça, order, the adopter or the adopted person or any other person dies Wills and intestate in respect of any property, that property shall devalve in all respects as if the adopted person were the child of the adopter born in lawful wedlock and were not the child of any other person.
(2) In any disposition of property made, whether by instru- ment inter vivos or by will (including codicil), after the date of an adoption order—
(a) any reference (whether express or implied) to the child or children of the adopter shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be construed as, or as including, a reference to the adopted person;
(b) any reference (whether express or implied) to the child or children of the adopted person's natural parents or either of them shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be construed as not being, or as not including, a reference to the adopted person; and
(c) any reference (whether express or implied) to a person related to the adopted person in any degree shall, unless reference the contrary intention appears, be construed as
to the person who would be related to him in that degree if he were the child of the adopter born in lawful wedlock and were not the child of any other person-
15. (1) Notwithstanding any rule of law, a disposition made Provigious by will or codicil executed before the date of an adoption order supplemen-
Lary to shall not be treated for the purposes of section 14 as made after section 14 that date by reason only that the will or codicit is confirmed by a codicil executed after that date.
(2) Notwithstanding anything in section 14, trustees or personal representatives may convey or distribute any property to or among the persons entitled thereto without having ascer tained that no adoption order has been made by virtue of which any person is or may be entitled to any interest therein, and shall not be liable to any such person of whose claim they have not had