SF Bay Area Families Meet with Rep. Anna Eshoo

Several members of the Bay Area Guatemalan Adoptive Families group met Friday 4/16/04 with U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA 14th District). The primary purpose of the meeting was to thank Rep. Eshoo for her support during the Hague crisis last year and for her continued interest in adoptions from Guatemala.

Rep. Eshoo was presented with several letters and photos as well as a copy of the Families Without Borders report on UNICEF and Intercountry Adoption. Rep. Eshoo assured the families that her office would give the report a detailed read. The Bay Area Guatemalan Adoptive Families are looking forward to continuing to work with Rep. Eshoo, as well as several other representatives in the San Francisco Bay Area, on issues such as the U.S. Hague implementation, the ICARE Bill, and facilitating visitor’s visas for foster mothers when sponsored by an adoptive family.

Rep. Eshoo, of course, fell in the love with the children. She remarked about how happy they are (despite the infant and toddler wrecking crew that took over her office) and also commented about how it is seeing kids like these that gives her the ambition to serve.

A note of commentary to this story…

We need more elected officials like Rep. Eshoo. Her office and staff have listened to the concerns of her constituents and acted accordingly on their behalf. They have given thought to the complexities of intercountry adoption without bias. Rep Eshoo realizes that she must represent her constituents, but also that they can be a valuable resource to help her form her positions. Thanks Rep. Eshoo!

Guatadopt.com encourages everyone to forge a relationship and dialogue with their elected officials. Many legislative changes are ahead of us in the near future, including the ICARE Bill and the U.S. implementation of the Hague Treaty. If those of us with a vested interest in Intercountry Adoption (ICA) don’t get involved, we have no right to complain about what we may end up with. ICA is a complex issue and is not one that our elected officials are able to grasp well without assistance and perspective. This is more so the case in regard to adoptions from Guatemala because of the inherent differences between Guatemala and the other predominant “sending countries” like China and Russia that have very centralized governments and established bureaucracies.

If you have already been in contact with your Representatives and/or Senators, we would like to know about your experiences and their level of involvement. We will use this information to create a central database so that we, as the adoptive community, can be more organized on a national level. Please e-mail the name of the elected official along with where they represent (i.e.: Rep. Jane Doe - Republican Ohio 10th district) to kevin@guatadopt.com as well any actions they took on your behalf.