There is an old adage that if you say something enough times, people will start to believe it. Recently, this seems to be happening in relation to intercountry adoption from Guatemala. Except for that this time it is not only in the form of poor media coverage and the usual anti-ICA rumor spreaders - it's also come from inside the adoption community.
I want to say upfront that I have never seen, heard or read a single shred of evidence to point to children being adopted for the purpose of organ transplants. Not one and it is sad that somehow this atrocity seems to make its way into the same sentences that speak of adoption.
There was a recent, well publicized case that occurred in Guatemala. From the press reports I have seen, it is not certain that this innocent little girl had organs removed her body. I read one from a questionable source which said so, but really it is irrelevant.
I am knowledgeable enough on the subject to say whether children have been abducted and killed for their organs. Since there seem to be people in this world capable of all sorts of horrendous activities, I’m sure it has happened. And I can only hope that the people involved in it get justice – either now from law enforcement or later from our maker. But this has nothing to do with adoption.
Recent press stories link this tragic event to issues of human trafficking including “illegal adoption”. There is only one inference to be made from this and it is a horrible one. The way I see it, there are only two definitions of illegal adoption. One would be an instance of visa fraud. For the purpose of example, let’s just say fraudulent documents being used to make a married woman appear single. The other would an instance where a child joins a family without ever really getting a legal adoption.
One could not logically call a case where a child is used for their bodily organs an illegal adoption. So are they saying that people have legally gone through the adoption process for this nefarious purpose? Find me one case! True, some would argue that this is one more reason to require post-placement reports. And I support post-placement requirements. But then in this case you are essentially saying that someone went through the whole adoption process, brought the child home, and somehow managed to get a doctor to do this. Very hard to believe
The fact that there could be people out there who would knowingly kill an innocent child to sell their organs is beyond explanation. And the fact that too much corruption exists in intercountry adoption is a travesty. But these two things are not related and it is time for them to stop being grouped together.
On a final note it is sad to have to be writing this. And in no way do I mean to detract from the severity of what occurred to this child and other children. I hope that it does not appear as though I have lessened the relevance and sickening nature of this tragedy. But this is a site devoted to adoption and it is within that context that I wrote this. I say bust all the bastards who harm children. Punish them severely. But let’s not fall prey to combining two unrelated things because they both involve the world’s most innocent population, the country of Guatemala, and the fact that there are too many slimebags of various forms in our world.
I am horrified by just the thought of this! Where are the press releases, or the full story?
Posted by: JennL at June 27, 2007 04:56 PMKevin,
Very well said! Another illogical aspect of "adopting for the organs" is that there is NO way of knowing if the organs etc would be a genetic match. Without a match the organ would essentially be no good. Further, who would put themselves through all the paper work, visits etc., not to mention the cost, for organs?
This haunts me!!!! Where is the full story?
Posted by: JennL at June 27, 2007 08:13 PMThere are a number of stories out there. This one was the worst, and also the only one to claim that organs were missing: http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B6A01C6BA-5CDE-409D-A885-64EC9D0CC566%7D)&language=EN.
Most of the others have just stated that people fear children are stolen to be sold or for their body parts. But I have seen from the chatter out there how these things are being combined with issues facing adoption and that was my point. This is why for example law proposals have specifically stated you can't adopt a child for organ harvesting. This makes it sound like it happens. In reality, laws need onyl to say that you can only adopt children to bring them into your family and raise them exactly as you would a biological child.
Plus remember that this was posted on my Radical Rant which means it is more "sensationalized" or editoiralistic than things we post on the home page
Kevin
Guatadopt
Kevin,
As you know, my wife and I have a large circle of friends and family in Guatemala. Even though most are well-educated people, many (just like Americans) believe the various “urban legends” that have seemingly been going around forever. One of these legends, of course, is that of children being “adopted” so that their organs can be harvested from their bodies. These legends, not unique to Guatemala, have been shared all over the Third World for more than 20 years. Meanwhile, apparently nobody including UNICEF has been able to find any shred of evidence that the practice has ever existed. Clearly, the stories are so unbelievable that they should be, well... UNBELIEVABLE.
The recent story of the mob violence against three Guatemalans suspected of kidnapping and mutilating a young child just adds fuel to the fire. With so many people believing the incredulous "urban legend", it is easy to see how the mob reacted with such fury to the atrocity. (That is, if mob violence can ever truly be understood). However, it seems to me after reading of the condition of the child’s corpse that its most unlikely that anyone was seriously trying to harvest organs. Rather, it appears that that the gruesome slaying of the little girl was the perverted work of some insane monster.
Regarding your comments on “illegal adoption”, I have personally been told of cases in which children have joined a Guatemalan family without ever going through a legal adoption process – particularly in the more rural areas. And when families do it, they often have a birth certificate or other documents “proving” the circumstances of their new family member’s birth. I won’t comment further on this for now, but am versed in how this simple ruse works.
I, too, am disgusted whenever I read a report critical of inter-country adoption from Guatemala in which “illegal adoptions” are mentioned. The most maddening aspect is that there are never any documented examples to back up the claims, or the incredulous stories of children being adopted for the purpose of harvesting their organs. Yes, there is certainly much room to fix abuses in the Guatemalan system, and I agree with your characterization of the corruption as a travesty. I applaud you for your assertion that these two things are not related and that it is time for them to stop being grouped together. As always, another great column on your part. (Koo koo ka choo!)
We just returned from Guatemala and having spent some time there now, I can understand how these urban legends take hold. First, folks there seem much more willing to believe legends, fables, etc. For example, our (college educated) tour guide explained that boats have disappeared in Lake Atitlan and "some say that it's due to a lake monster...maybe true, maybe not...one is left uncertain". He also mentioned to us the possibility of adoption for organ harvesting, but said "that's probably not true."
Second, you're talking about people who, in many cases, have experienced incredible atrocities during the recent war. For example we heard stories from our tour guide of villages where people simply disappeared--lots of people. We all know about the genocide that occurred during the war. Once you've experienced this kind of horror, I can understand how you could believe that just about anything awful is possible. JMHO.
Sadly, there are those in the U.S. that also believe some of these absurd legends and false notions...... even my own parents have fallen prety to this. No matter how much I try to inform them, they still buy into the media propaganda out there.
so sad,
gloria
mom to 5 Guatemalan blessings
You have hit upon an incredibly complicated history of mis-information. If you want to know more about this mythology, go to:
http://tafkac.org/medical/organ.theft/baby.parts/baby_parts_myth.html
It is important to note that what a group perceives--real or not--can quickly become "reality" for a group of people. When the lynch mobs take place (and there have been a number in which child theft is the accusation), the violence may well be an example of "group think." This phenomena is quite dangerous, but happens frequently in all sorts of contexts. When you add into the mix a post-conflict environment, low levels of formal education, a history of genocide, and real cases of child theft in Guatemala--what emerges is and can be frightening. Now, you may say that there is no evidence of child theft in Guatemala. However, there has been child theft there--whether for adoption, molestation, etc. However, the organ theft rumor is just that rumor. Since I know that my assertion of 'child theft' is provocative (especially on this site), I don't say this lightly. There are credible reports of children being stolen from very poor families. One woman recounted having her infant stolen from her on the streets of Guatemala--apparently a gun was held to her head. This wasn't recently, the report was late 1990s/2000. And, because the police in Guatemala are impotent and essentially do not respond to the vast majority of cases--the expectation that reports, investigations, and recording keeping is not realistic. Finally,since at least 1% of the nation's infants are leaving the country--you can imagine that this is controversial among some and misunderstandings/rumors are not entirely a surprise. If we were sending 1% of US children abroad--I feel confident that there would also be misinformation here in our nation.
I just saw there there was another major lynch mob/child theft incident in which 1500 people were involved. Apparently the Guate government had to send in special forces to get control over the situation. The news report that I saw was dated 2 July.
Posted by: karenms1 at July 4, 2007 02:02 AM