It has been a while since there has been much activity on the future of Guatemalan adoptions, which of course means we are due for some.
Over the last week or so, there have been some rumblings. There have been some attempts to try to call a special session of Congress in order to push through the Berger law proposal. These were not successful in even getting the bill out of committee, apparently with the relevant committee members pointing out significant constitutional issues with the bill in its current form. However, it is possible that the bill will eventually be recommended although the Congress is not in session until August.
In addition to this, a representative of the Hague named Hans van Loon was in Guatemala trying to push that Guatemala needs to comply with the treaty. Guatadopt has reported before that to many Hague countries, Guatemala is still a part of it because they have never formally withdrawn. This is a weird thing because to Guatemala, they never really joined since the manner in which they attempted to was deemed unconstitutional.
Lastly, it was reported in the Prensa Libre that PGN has announced that they will be publishing a manual regarding adoption policies. (Click here to find the story.) While we don’t know what changes, if any, will be a part of it, we do know that they are consulting the Instituto (the Guatemalan Bar Association).
I can’t offer up an opinion on what exactly all of this means. It is probably inevitable that reforms will eventually be made to the current system. It is my hope that rationale reforms are enacted to remove the opportunities for corruption and unethical behavior without ending a wonderful institution that has given thousands of children permanency in loving homes. And as always, I will take the position that the best reform may be strict enforcement of the laws currently on the books, which if strictly followed would result in an adoption system that could serve as a benchmark for other countries.