As this year comes to its end, it is a time to look back and ponder so that we can move ahead. The year started out pretty slow and status quo for adoptions from Guatemala. Concerns over when the US would ratify the Hague and what that would mean seemed to be the hot topics. But on the last day of January, the year became the one that it would ultimately become - the year of scandal.
As the year progressed threat after threat arrived. New law proposals. A “Protocol of Good Practices” resurfaced. Little by little the process became more difficult. The Departments of State and Homeland Security issued warnings, advisories and FAQs. Cases started to take longer. At the same time, Guatemalan authorities started to clamp down, at times in downright unreasonable fashion. A new law passed, but then didn’t pass. There was huge fear over a grandfathering clause. Then a second new law actually passed. And here we are today, waiting to see what next.
2007 was a year wrought in the seedy side of adoptions. On one hand, we saw justice at work. Agencies like Reaching Arms International and Waiting Angels are now out of business following investigations. Mary Bonn is behind bars. Admittedly, a positive thing these folks are no longer in the adoption business, but also something that contributed to the take down of a system.
There is ample room for debate over why things went down as they did in Guatemala. The line between strategy and conspiracy is sometimes a blurry thing. Ultimately, the tide was moved over the course of the year away from an “adoption friendly” future in Guatemala to one based on a legal fad that has been sweeping the globe - a fad that greatly reduces the Guatemalan adoption burden on the US government.
In all honesty, I can’t entirely blame those that supported a strict law that would inevitably cause a dramatic reduction in the number of adoption cases. The system undeniably has been riddled with far too much corruption and unethical activities. Trust me on that one. Over this past year, Guatadopt’s experience was a large increase in the number and degree of “troubled” cases. I figure the increase must be in part due to more bad stuff going on and in part due to the site’s ever increasing popularity and prominence. Back to the point, something had to be done.
My call for rigorous enforcement of laws over those that restrict the system will not dissipate. I shall continue to wonder what such an approach could accomplish. Nonetheless, we are where we are and there is a whole lot of blame to throw around at every adoption constituency out there, parents included. Well all except the most important constituency group – the children.
It is of course saddening to look at my children and think that the way they came to my wife and I was something that so many believe needed to be outlawed. I look at the world of their biological mother, the excellent care they received in Guatemala, and who they are today and can’t help to feel anything but proud. Yet popular culture would have me believe otherwise.
Over the course of 2007 my views on Guatemalan adoption did change significantly. Maybe it was because of the troubled cases I struggled to help families get through. Maybe it was the barrage of newspaper, magazine and radio interviews bombarding me with questions about all the bad stuff in adoptions. Maybe it was personal exhaustion and a sense of futility. Whichever the case may be, I started the year as a hard core advocate for the notarial system and ended the year thinking it needed far more significant reform than before.
This year was a real challenge to endure as an adoption advocate. Guatadopt has always prided itself on being beholden to no one and posting the truth as we see it. Prior to 2007, this was an easy task. But this year was different. Kelly and I have joked that we must be doing a good job because at times we’ve had every constituent group love us or hate us this year. That seems a show of objectivity. Nonetheless, it was hard to develop a “positive” rapport with the likes of Unicef and the Department of State. It was extremely difficult for me, the consummate radical and anti-government guy, to actually go out of my way to help the Department of Homeland Security. It was difficult to put aside my personal hatred of how their Immigration and Customs Enforcement department treats undocumented workers in the US in order to help them solve and prosecute unethical activities in adoption. In the end, they have fallen far short of my expectations. It seems far more important to them that they deport innocent people seeking a better life than it is to hunt down and incarcerate those who have jeopardized children and grifted innocent families. But so be it.
So now here we are on this most saddening day. A new law has hit Guatemala. Exactly what the future holds is uncertain. I can’t help to wonder what more I could have done. Maybe Guatadopt should have been more proactive against corruption prior to 2007. Maybe we should not have been hesitant to expose the formerly more limited dark side out fear it would feed into the hands of the enemy. Maybe we could have forged a group like PEAR to mobilize adoptive families for domestic adoption reform. In the end, I sleep well at night because I know without doubt that we always did what we felt was right.
I stand by the belief that there is a better way to handle intercountry adoption. Adults must find a way to keep themselves honest and ensure that every child’s right to a permanent and loving family is met. I shall continue that fight into the future regardless of what Guatemala’s system looks like.
Assuming this new law has the expected impact of essentially ending adoptions from Guatemala; it is unclear what will happen to this humble website and grand ole institution we know as Guatadopt.com. Kelly and I aren’t going anywhere but we know from experience that most of the energy on the reader side of things comes from in-process families. We will move on and focus energies on our Do Good business as a way to continue to give back to Guatemala. But I want to beg each of you to stay involved. We have been a community and a community sticks together. Whether or not more children come to the US from Guatemala does not impact the history and ongoing needs of those children who did. We need to continue to keep them connected to their birth culture and remain a vocal force defending our families. And we all have a debt to try to alleviate the conditions that lead to adoption. So please, while it would be easy to drop out, do not do so. We will need help and most importantly, someone has to try to document what this law actually does to children if there is ever to be a change in how the global community views intercountry adoption policy.
I’ll end this scattered piece with one last thought. Thanks to all of you, the readers of Guatadopt. Whatever the future holds all of you have given me experiences that I shall take to the grave. Five years ago, when my wife and I were in the early stages of an adoption from Guatemala, I never could have anticipated just how my life would change from it. Through Guatadopt I have made friends, shed tears, endured pain, and shared the greatest joys of people’s lives. I can not put into words the feeling of having someone tell you “without your help, my son would never have come home”. No, that’s not me trying to pat myself on the back. It’s just the spiritual side of me that believes we are judged by our deeds saying “thanks for giving me the opportunity”. Through this website I’ve had the ability to act on an issue I hold very dear. At times it has been hard to be a celebrity of sorts and most recently, the inability to help families push things along has been a huge and humbling challenge. Nonetheless, I have to say that we, the Guatadopt community, are a great diverse group and I am honored to have been a catalyst in creating it.
So I facetiously say “Happy New Year” and let’s all see where 2008 leads us.
Kevin:
thank you for such a thoughtful and honest summary of this year. That must have been challenging to write. I do hope that in some incarcanation Guatadopt lives on. I plan to remain involved in efforts to improve the lives of families in Guatemala. Who knows what opportunities there will be to do that in the coming years? A site like this though will be a great way for us to keep each other informed and motivated.
Best wishes to all for the New Year! And I am wishing luck and speedy processes to all of us still in process during the transition.
Megan
Kevin,
You and Kelly have been helpful to so many of us navigating through Guatemalan adoptions. I THANK YOU!!! Your insight, candidness and advice along with your dedication to children has inspired many of us to learn more and take action. What an amazing job (albeit volunteer job) you have been doing.
It's disturbing to realize that Dec. 31 is upon us and it doesn't appear that anyone has defined "in-process" nor how the registration by Jan. 31 will take place. Rumors and conjectures aren't what children & families deserve. However, these questions will be answered shortly.
The most important issue is the future. It is sad to feel that Guatemalans adoptions will just be a trickle. The children deserve better.
Thank you for everything. Wishing you, Kelly and your families a good 2008.
Posted by: Dot at December 31, 2007 11:16 AM
As someone who was "in-process" for the majority of 2007, I can say that it has indeed been quite a year. This website, however, was the one place that I knew I could count on for information. It was honest, reliable and constant. I hope you know how much the work you do means to all of us.
I received the referral for my beautiful baby girl in March 2007 and am one of the lucky ones who received final PGN approval right before the Christmas holidays. I am hoping to travel to get her at the end of January.
I continue to pray that I am able to bring her home safely (I don't think I will fully believe it until I have her back in the US).
I will also continue to pray for all the other parents and children that are in process - in hopes that the new system will be set up quickly and you are all able to bring your children home soon.
Kevin and Kelly - thank you for everything you do!
Posted by: Susan at December 31, 2007 11:36 AMI find it difficult to put into words how I feel about everything. I guess it is as simple as the word "sad". My hope and prayer is that sometime in the future things will change in such a way that the children who are in need of a loving family and a family who wants to love a child can be matched...without corruption and greed.
Kevin et al...you are an amazing group of people and I am especially grateful! Without Guatadopt, I would be lost! Thank you for the work you are doing! God Bless!
Posted by: Shelley at December 31, 2007 11:57 AMThank both of you for all the research, thought, perspective that you bring to these complicated issues facing adoption in Guatemala. If only there were easy answers! I am home with my adopted baby daughter for 15 days now, but this website is STILL the first one I surf to when I login each day. Even though I have my child home, I remain greatly concerned about the fate of all adoptable children in Guatemala. I will remain faithful to your website for it's truthful content. I will again make a cash donation in 2008. I will do whatever I can to answer your calls for action. You two do make a difference. Thank you for being so dedicated.
I agree wholeheartedly that we need documentation of what this law does to the children. From what I understand about the slowdown in 2003, it is highly UNLIKELY that the Guatemalan government will step forward to care for its babies in 2008.
Please count me in on any group of individuals or organized activity to draw attention to the ineffectiveness of the global intercountry adoption policy.
Children should not have a right to languish or die in their country of origin. In my opinion, the emphasis on keeping children within their native countries has done just that.
Posted by: Lucinda at December 31, 2007 12:14 PMI would like to deeply thank you and Kelly and everyone involved with Guatadopt. We have been in process for nearly 2 years now and it would have been so much darker to not have this website. Thank you and God bless.
Posted by: Melanie at December 31, 2007 01:27 PMWe're with you. We're not going anywhere. Your website has been the place to turn when we can't get information anywhere else. You truly make a difference in this world.
Posted by: Jennifer at December 31, 2007 01:51 PM3 thoughts on advocacy from this point forward:
I am starting to see VERY similar rhetoric in the press about Vietnam quoting of course, UNICEF. Any thoughts on what we can do to see a different outcome there?
Any advice to those who might be in Guatemala interested in quietly "documenting" how this law affects the children? i.e. what to look for, ask, etc.
May I urge those in what Kevin calls our "Guatadopt Community" to find and largely support a great NGO in Guatemala. Soon, Guatemalan adoptions won't be making the headlines as much. But the hogars other child-focused NGOs will be far beyond their usual capacity and especially in need of support.
Posted by: Jennifer at December 31, 2007 02:36 PMHappy New Year to all! I would like to post a positive comment regarding our case. Please don't take this as me bragging because we have had some problems on our side with some lost documents but once everything finally got to Guatemala things have been cruising along!
Our documents arrived November 29th (after several weeks of delays here). We got our DNA authorization on 12/04/07. We found out on 12/21 that we were in and out of family court that week and entered into PGN on 12/20/07! Feliciano Carrillo is working our case and is amazing. We first adopted with him in 2001 and our working on bringing home our 4th child. We got our results from the DNA on Christmas Eve! It was so fun to open the mail and see our son with his birth mom on the way to church.
I am hopeful that this means family court is moving quickly for all the cases and that others will also be posting some encouraging and exciting news soon!!! Take care and be safe tonight! Angelique Hatch
Posted by: Angelique Hatch at December 31, 2007 02:42 PMKevin,
THank you for your well written post. What are you referring to when you talk about the law ending adoptions in Guat? The ortega law? Or the hague treaty? Is there something else? We are awaiting submission to the u.s. embassy on wed. for our 2nd dna and visa will this be effected?
This is a terrible time for the children being born in guat. whos mothers simply can not take care of them....
Saddly,
Judy
Kevin,
Well said. I would like to echo your request for people to stay involved. Yes, in-process cases have been the focus of many because it is agonizing knowing their children are pawns in a political game. Now that in-process cases are rightly being grandfathered, PAPs can finally be relieved in knowing that they will get their children, however long it may take, which is blessed news.
That being said, we who believe in adoption should not turn our backs on the future generations of Guatemalan children. The adoption law may still be amended and the change of President and Congress in Guatemala at least keeps this hope alive. By continuing to hold our own government accountable, the Guatemalan government will in turn also remain accountable.
Those of us who have been lucky enough to have our families blessed with children from Guatemala should remember those families who will want the same thing in the future. Let's not forget these families and most importantly, let us not forget the children of Guatemala.
Robert
Posted by: Robert at December 31, 2007 02:53 PMThank you for all that you do! Believe me, I am not going anywhere. We are forever tied to the country of Guatemala, it's children, and this community.
Posted by: Sue at December 31, 2007 03:04 PMThanks so much for your insightful and heartfelt comments. We are still in-process, and I have no doubt that despite the roller-coaster ride this experience has been, we would be interested in adopting from Guatemala in the future. That will definitely keep us in the loop re: intercountry adoption.
Any ideas who might be measuring or monitoring outcomes once the new law is fully implemented? Does our DOS follow that? UNICEF? The Guat. central authority?
Thanks again. Hope you had a lovely Christmas. Many wishes for a peaceful 20008.
Posted by: LeAnn at December 31, 2007 03:54 PMI would also like to add my thanks to Kevin, Kelly and the entire Guatadopt team. While a relatively late "joiner," the assistance and information on this page and the discussion boards have been invaluable. I wish I had known about this resource at the start of my adoption journey (this should be a link provided by every adoption agency).
While I agree that there was certainly examples of real problems in Guatemala, I have to say that my experience with that country, thus far, as been fine (though I'm not out of PGN yet, so who knows where this will go). I am, however, increasingly disturbed at the posturing and lack of assistance by various U.S. governmental agencies (and given my general antipathy to start with, this is pretty bad). And I am, in all honesty, disgusted with some of the practices of various adoption agencies across this country. One place to focus for the future might be in our own backyard -- I've now met/conversed with too many people who have been left in the cold by unethical adoption organizations and duplicitous government officials.
That said - on the positive side, I feel much more engaged with Guatemala than I ever thought I would. And through the various petitions, etc., I can count numerous friends and family members who became active for the first time in both domestic and international adoption/child welfare issues. My hope is that my daughter will be home by spring. And thanks to some links on this site, I am also sponsoring the education of several Guatemalan children. In all likelihood, I would not have taken these steps without the information provided here.
So I thank you and wish you a happy and healthy new year.
Cheryl
Wow, It's hard to believe that all of that happened this year. We have been "in process" all year, so I guess in a way, I do believe it. One thing that stood out in what Kevin wrote is the future children of Guatemala. I'm hoping that all of us in process cases will get their children home. But what about those left behind. I'm hoping that through this network, we all can make a difference. We will just have to switch our efforts towards helping the children that are left behind. We CAN make a difference. The more help we have, the louder our voices! Peace and Feliz Nuevo Ano to y'all. Erik
Posted by: Erik at December 31, 2007 06:02 PMAlthough adoptions will slow to a trickle, at the moment there are still over 3,500 in-process families. I can assure you that we need everyone's support and help from the "guatadopt family"!
Everyone please keep advocating!
thank you and we hope that 2008 will bring home our babies safe and sound.
Posted by: Ann at December 31, 2007 06:13 PM2007 was very good to us as we received the referral for our son Luke in March and brought him home in September. I have read your website from the first moments we decided to pursue our adoption and I have continued to read it every day since. You have been a place of peace during tumultuous times and for that I am grateful. We will continue to read and support Guatadopt (bought 20 calendars in fact!) and will keep each and everyone of you in our thoughts and prayers. Happy New Year
Posted by: Marypat at December 31, 2007 09:25 PMKevin, thanks for your heartfelt piece, and all the work you and Kelly do.
I came upon something tonight which showed one direction the impending shutdown of Guatemalan adoptions may lead to. One of the formerly quite well regarded agencies is starting a Guatemalan SURROGACY program, and it was announced today. YIKES. Now there are issues with surrogacy but I am not out & out opposed to it being an option for some to grow their families, maybe. But it is NOT adoption and it is NOT related to helping the children who will now be left without adoption as a means to a family. And the timing couldn't be more of a kick in the head to those whose hearts are in Guatemalan adoptions. Ouch.
Earlier today I made a donation to WINGS, in hopes that some Guatemalan women will then have access to reproductive health care. Thanks for providing the link on Guatadopt. We need you!
Happy new year to all, especially those in Guatemala.
Posted by: anon at January 1, 2008 12:45 AMAngelique- we are waiting on final approval of our son's case in PGN. He is at Feliciano's hogar as well. We visited him in October. I wonder if I have pics of your little one from that visit? Please email me off-list if you'd like to chat.
Jean
Posted by: Jean at January 1, 2008 10:56 AMOMG!!! Anon!!! You cannot be serious!!!
You wrote "One of the formerly quite well regarded agencies is starting a Guatemalan SURROGACY program, and it was announced today."
I am in shock that an agency would stoop soooo low!!! When confronted with the corruption and story's of how birth moms, children, and PAPs are exploited, most of them closed their eyes and continued to accept infant boys and girls so that they can make $2,0000-$5,000 for matching a family with a child.
Now, after what I read, I'd like to see them tell us that they did not know about the corruption.
They knew birth moms were getting paid to give their child up. They know that, still, there are Guatemalan women who desperately need money for their family and that American will pay a lot for an adoption.
So, instead of this agency, encouraging families to adopt under the new system, thus protecting the children, birth parents and adoptive parents from extortion and exploitation, they develop a new way to take advantage of poor Guatemalan women, the children they will bear and the US families, because we all know the agency plans to charge high fees for their service.
And, someone in the Congress meeting said Guatemalan women are selling their wombs and the fruit of their wombs. They used this as an argument against adoptions under the notarial system!!!
Well, they can absolutely have their point validated now, because an agency is willing to find families who would pay a Guatemalan women to have a baby.
This is my one question!!! Surrogacy or no surrogacy, when a woman carries a living human soul in her womb for 9 months, a bond is created.
And we all know how willing agencies are to return calls and emails!!!! I know not all but many leave their PAP hanging in the dark,
soooooo someone tell me how this Guatemalan surrogate birth mom is going to get counseling!!! She wont get help from the government because that help goes to women who place their baby for adoption. They will be exploited again.
I hope the Guatemalan congress sees this new tactic to exploit and they immediate begin to get laws in place to protect their citizens.
In the US states have different laws concerning surrogacy.
What is important to understand here is that when families choose surrogacy in the US, the women who choose to be a surrogate, have more options for state assistance and help. There are not yet programs in place to help Guatemalans like there is in the United States.
A note to the Guatemalan congress!!! Place in law that if a woman chooses to be a surrogate then when they have the baby, they get a certain amount of time to decide if they want to keep the child or not! And, if they choose to keep the child, they have rights to do so.
Your post brought me to tears, thank you Kevin and Kelly. Your tireless work is for a higher cause and I am grateful that you are doing the work that is not paid or given enough thanks. So I am saying thank you and God bless you in this new year.
Posted by: Lisa at January 1, 2008 02:21 PMKelly and Kevin:
Thank you both for being such an amazing support system for those of us who began our journey this year. The emotions of excitement, love, hope, frustration, disbelief, etc. throughout this process are an experience that no one but those of us who have endured them can understand and I wish to thank the entire Guadadopt community for sharing - it chokes me up now just thinking of it all.
I believe that we remain strong together and that we will all bring our children home after which I am certain we will not forget our children's home country rather we will continue to look to you both for guidance on how we can remain activists for what is right for the children that need us.
I wish each of you a blessed new year - I have hope that each of us will bring our babies home soon and that we will continue to support the efforts for those who still need us for their future.
Kevin,
I found your letter to be brilliantly writen and clearly heartfelt in its vivid summarization of '07 and the downward spiral we are now experiencing.
From Pearl Harbor to 9/11, we have seen moments of "infamy" that create rallying effects leading to positive acts and long-term humananitarian benefits.
Maybe one of the most noticeable humanitarian benefits in the 2008 world of Guatemalan adoptions will be more activism and involvement from those of us who have been content to be on the sidelines and let dedicated folks like yourself keep us informed. Personally, I feel I owe it to my daughter and all of family to begin to balance what they will see and hear on sensationalized media coverage - - particularly now that, even in sensational journalism, there are at least components of truth in the mosiac that is international adoption.
If 2007 will go down in infamy then let's hope 2008 marks the year when parents and other pro-adoption constituents get in the game and stand up for the advocacy of Guatemalan children.
Posted by: Ben at January 1, 2008 03:02 PMThank you Kevin and Kelly... our family is one of "those" cases you helped this year. We have had our second son home for over 8 months now. Thank you for helping make us a family!!!
Posted by: Nina at January 1, 2008 03:34 PM
I agree with Ann that there are still thousands of us out there on this very nerve-wracking rollercoaster ride called "in process" that could still use the support of the "Guatadopt Family".
Please don't forget about us, and please keep advocating for us.
I also agree with Kevin and many others that we all need to continue to advocate for the children and birthmothers of the future. To speak up when we can, write when we can, give when we can, back to the children and birthmothers of the country of our children's birth.
Lizzie
Proud Mama to Anarosa home since 5-2004
Also Mama to Migdalia, anxiously waiting to hold her, born November, 2006
Dear Kevin,
Esperanza and I appreciate the valuable work that Kelly and you, and the other contributors to Guatadopt.com do. Thank you so much.
I share your sentiments regarding 2007. All I can add is, "what a long, strange trip it's been!"
Gregg
Posted by: Gregg at January 2, 2008 12:04 AMWhew!
Fortunately, before I navigated away from the GuatAdopt.com site, I remembered to make a contribution to help cover the site's expenses by clicking on the "PayPal Donate" link (located toward the upper right of the home page for GuatAdopt).
My wife Esperanza and I brought our (now, almost 2 year-old) daughter home in 2006. GuatAdopt was a wonderful resource for us then, and continues to be so today. For that reason we make a small contribution every few months. Our family encourages you to do the same. (You do NOT need to have a PayPal account, and all financial and personal information is held in the strictest confidence.)
Another very GRATEFUL DAD,
Gregg
Posted by: Gregg at January 2, 2008 12:19 AMStill (and always) hoping and praying that the situation is not as bleak as it appears, that all the families in process are successful in bringing their little ones home, that orphans get the care and love they deserve, and that somehow, someway all needing children end up finding their forever families.
Posted by: Andrea at January 2, 2008 12:23 AMKevin, thank you for an excellent post on the rollercoaster of 2007. As I sit here listening for the sounds of our children to waken I can't help but think about the sleepless nights spent online last year wondering if they would come home and if not what was to become of them. Thank you, Kelly, and other posters for being a lifeline during the turmoil. I don't think I could have made it through without you. You have helped so many families with this site. I hope you and your families had a wonderful holiday and have a much blessed new year. My thoughts and prayers to all the children in the world needing a family. I pray that the adults in this world come up with an appropriate course of action that works in the real world and serves the best interests of the children.
God bless
Lisa
Kevin and Kelly and all of the Guatadopt staff, THANK YOU for everything you do. I have had both my boys home now for over a year and this is the first website that I still check each day. I used this website for support and information while in process and still check it to see how others are doing and what is going on in Guatemalan adoptions. I continue to believe that the fate of the Guatemalan children should be everyone's concern, it is so sad that the children are the ones that will be left behind, they are the innocent ones left in this political mess. I agree with others that when adoptions come to a trickle we as PAP's need to get the statistics of what is happening to all of the babies in Guatemala and get people to notice. We need to focus on what the Guatemalan government isn't doing to help these children, and what stopping adoptions did to the children. I too am for reform, but stopping adoptions isn't the answer. I don't know what the answer is, but I know that there are still going to be Guatmalan women who can not care for their children and tons of Guatemalan children left behind for their unprepared and corrupt government to take care of them. Lets hope that everything works out for the children, and I pray for all of those families who are still in process. For I know that my husband and I are the most blessesd people to have our 2 boys in our lives, and there is nothing greater then a child. I hope that adoptions reopen in Guatemala for all of the children and for the families who would like to build their families through adoption. I know that my dream is more children to grow our family, and I would love a Guatemalan princess.
Thank you
Posted by: Magen at January 2, 2008 10:31 AMThank you Kevin and Kelly for your insight and great service to those who have adopted, or still in the process of adopting, from Guatemala.
I subscribe to Science magazine, and perhaps those who haven't read this might enjoy this report on foster care placement research done in Romania. I've pasted the abstract. The implications, I think, are is quite pertinent for Guatemala, and should help guide policy debates with regards for helping their children.
Science 21 December 2007: Vol. 318. no. 5858, pp. 1937-1940
Cognitive Recovery in Socially Deprived Young Children: The Bucharest Early Intervention Project
Charles A. Nelson, III,1* Charles H. Zeanah,2 Nathan A. Fox,3 Peter J. Marshall,4 Anna T. Smyke,2 Donald Guthrie5
In a randomized controlled trial, we compared abandoned children reared in institutions to abandoned children placed in institutions but then moved to foster care. Young children living in institutions were randomly assigned to continued institutional care or to placement in foster care, and their cognitive development was tracked through 54 months of age. The cognitive outcome of children who remained in the institution was markedly below that of never-institutionalized children and children taken out of the institution and placed into foster care. The improved cognitive outcomes we observed at 42 and 54 months were most marked for the youngest children placed in foster care. These results point to the negative sequelae of early institutionalization, suggest a possible sensitive period in cognitive development, and underscore the advantages of family placements for young abandoned children.
1 Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
2 Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
3 University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
4 Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
5 University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: charles.nelson{at}childrens.harvard.edu
Posted by: ebina2 at January 2, 2008 11:28 AMWell we started the adoption process again in March of 2007. Our first adoption was domestic. We have been in PGN for 6 weeks today and still have not heard anything. Has anyone heard anything about the court system and what the hold up could be? Is this something everyone is experiencing or just us? We could really use some encouragement or good news right now.
Thanks for all you do!
Posted by: Jordan and Jonathan at January 2, 2008 12:27 PMKevin,
Have you heard anything in terms of clarification from the Guatemalan government of what constitutes "registration with the Central Authority" requirement under the new adoption law?
Robert
Posted by: Robert at January 2, 2008 01:17 PMJordan,
before all of the adoption law confusion, PGN was taking around 12 weeks or more depending on if the case gets a previo or two. (previo is basically when your file gets sent back to your lawyer to redo paperwork or to add something etc.)
It seems that you got in the PGN at holiday time also... they go 1/2 staff so it is usually delayed at this time of year anyway.
In addition, at this time they do not have a Central Authority so none of our cases are officially "registered." Until cases are registered I imagine PGN will not be releasing files.
sorry it isn't great news, but it may help you manage your expectations.
I know how hard it is waiting for PGN to release your file---we have been in the PGN since March 15, 2007.
Hang in there and have faith. Your little one needs you!
Hi Kevin...I have to tell you that my agency, Spence-Chapin, always included your website when sending waiting families updated information on their status. My husband and I are home with our beautiful son since May of this year, and I cannot fathom what waiting families must go through now. I hope and pray that Guatemala's adoption process with the U.S. returns this year, and remaining families can finalize their adoptions. In the meantime, I continue to look towards guatadopt.com for "the voice of reason!"
Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2008.
Regards, Carol
Kevin and Kelly,
Thanks for your continuing work to provide relevant news to parents who are or have been involved in adopting Guatemalan children. Those of us who have been intimately involved in the system and encountered difficulties with it know more of the truth than the fanatical UNICEF, USCIS and US State department leftist xenophobes who together have pushed through a law that is guaranteed to do great damage to thousands of Guatemalans and Guatemalan children.
As someone who has been residing in Guatemala for several weeks and has had a first time opportunity to meet and work with a variety of doctors, lawyers and social workers involved in the old system, I can say with great confidence that the Ortega law as currently passed will do long term damage to the health and welfare of indigent Guatemalan Children. Not sometime deep into the future, but beginning in 2008. There is no way this law has the "best interests of children" in mind in any way. Funny how those whose motives are to destroy an infrastructure that helps Guatemalan children justify their actions in the children's name.
There is corruption in the Guatemalan adoption system, but anyone closely associated with the system can tell you that the corruption exists primarily in the Guatemalan and US government agencies that have been regulating adoptions.
Today, after a 6 hour wait I met with an incredibly hostile representative of the Dept of Homeland security in the Guatemalan American embassy in hopes of developing a way of expediting the visa of a child we adopted who subseqently developed pneumococcus meningitis, which is a disease that can kill up to 30% of the children it afflicts and causes brain damage in many other kids. All I asked is for the Dept to be helpful in inplementing passport photo IDs and the second DNA test in the hospital he is being cared for.
The short answer from the deputy counsul of my own american embassy was to suck eggs -- "we have our rules and we don't bend or break them" even when the consequence is that a child's life is endangered -- a future american citizen.
Apparently the 2007 debate has turned some of those who were intimately involved in it into unimaginable human rights abusers whose notion of the "best interest of children" is to let them die rather than change the order of things in any way.
I am embarrassed to be an American citizen who has to beg my own government representatives to help me provide the best medical care for my legally adopted child -- and then be refused. The unmistakable attitude of the USCIS is that it would be better if the child simply died so they could go back to their rather prolonged lunches in peace.
Posted by: Bob at January 3, 2008 03:49 AMKevin, Kelly and Troy,
I will post this here and also send an email to you respectively. I have been waiting for you guys to get back so I could tell you the good news. MY SON IS COMING HOME!!! If you remember correctly, I was w/ RAI and had M. Bonn as a facilitator. What a mess. But you guys were there, right alongside. Your support and insight has helped me stay sane many days. You also were nice enough to take your own personal time to look over my case and question it's validity. You three helped us to move forward and not give up. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! Words are not enough to show my gratitude.
Over two and a half years in process and we have finally reached the finish line. I just wanted you to know how important your work is to others. Thank you for the past and in advance, for the future you will play in the welfare of our adopted country. I know you guys will continue to stay the steadfast advocates you have become. Thank you again and God bless!
Gayle
Kevin & Kelly,
Kevin, even your "scattered pieces" are informative and passionate and balanced! Thank you. Please stay around! We all still want to know what is happening in Guatemala - on both the legislative and social fronts. Please keep us informed on how the new law is affecting families. As Jennifer writes: "But the hogars other child-focused NGOs will be far beyond their usual capacity and especially in need of support."
Richard
Posted by: Richard at January 3, 2008 10:37 AMBob,
I am disgusted-but not surprised by your response from the embassy. If there is anything we can do/ anyone we can contact on you behalf please post....if you are in Guatemala you probably have limted contact....Is your Congressman/Senator aware of this crap?
Kevin and Kelly,
Thanks a lot for being there for us. I have been an avid reader and poster ha ha ha this past year. My little girl is home now and she is sooo wonderful. I pray that everyone who has a referral will be able to bring their little one home and I pray for the future of Guatemala.
You are right that even if Guatemalan adoptions close down, we still owe it to the children here to continue on. We parents, our children, and Guatemala need us to continue as a community. You can count on me.
Best, Cheryl
Posted by: cheryl at January 3, 2008 02:25 PMI still look at Guatadopt now even though our second child has been home since 9/07. Thank you for helping us with info through both adoptions.
May I also suggest to keep in touch with any families in your area that have adopted. We have a local group with over 60 families involved that have adopted from Gautemala. We get together 3 or 4 times a year. We have always welcomed new families to our group. Although there are not many new members lately, as a group we help who we can. Tell local agencies that you would like to form a group and before you know it you have lots of families to meet. The children have a great time together and my son, now 3 and home since 1/05 loves to see similar looking children. There are so many friendships that can be built this way. We will always try to be active with the adoption world and this is also a fun way to keep up with what is going on around us.
Jennifer mother of:
Dorian 9/1/04 home 1/05
Lauren 2/14/07 home 9/07
Kevin,
URGENT: The following was posted on the JCICS website this morning, text follows and link is below.
"January 4, 2007
Joint Council can confirm that PGN is no longer processing adoption cases with the exception of those that have already been approved. All other aspects of adoption processing have been stopped.
This is a result of the new adoption law requiring the registration of cases with the Central Authority prior to cases being reinitiated. Joint Council continues to advocate for a position solution to the situation."
http://www.jcics.org/Guatemala.htm
Hello All:
I am now awaiting family court approval and then going into PGN. I am told from a source in Guate that since no CA has been established, cases will continue to be processed in PGN. This information was also posted in Guate newspapers.
Keep the faith.... and thank you Kelly and Kevin for the ability to use this website as an outlet.
Posted by: Jonilee Rossi at January 4, 2008 07:40 PMI for one, feel that this year has been a very sad and discouraging year for guatemalan adoptions. I am a long time reader of this site and adoptive parent.
I truly feel this site has on more than one occasion been very much like a "paparazzi magazine" of sorts.... reporting the sordid and "dark secrets" of guatemalan adoption all in the name of "ethics & honesty".
There is no doubt that corruption exists in guatemala - as it does in all countries, including the good ole' USA. But I certainly would not call it "journalism".
I believe that the guat adopt team could have handled the corruption and scandals in a more professional manner. There is something to be said about being "discreet". I don't see what there is to gain from dragging peoples name thru the mud and back and reporting on all the scandals. ( such as the mess with susana luarca and the mess with mary bonn). It's not the reporting that was wrong it was the "way" in which it was reported.
You can be honest and professional without having to stoop to paparazzi type journalism. You can help people who are struggling with difficult cases without having to be public about it. Yes, there is corruption - but the vast majority of cases are not 'bad apples' per say. There were some involved thru the years that were bad hats, but why be so "loud about it". Can't you just quietly warn folks about those bad hats, instead of blasting it to the world and jeapordizing the future of adoptions?
I do believe the writers here at guatadopt.com have had a hand in leading guat adoptions to it's present state - A MESS!
I wish the writers he could have handled the scandals of this year in a more discreet fashion instead of blasting it to the world and in essense jeopordizing, to some degree, the future of adoptions from guatemala.
It is a sad day in guatemalan adoptions -- sad for the children in the future who will not get a chance to know what it's like to have a safe & loving family.
Dissapointed,
concerned adoptive parent
Concerned Adoptive Parent -
In actuality we've been pretty conservative. There are many times that I wish readers could step in our shoes. I think the site has moved this year to being 90% offline communications and whatever assistance that we can offer (which is hard since Kevin and I are fulltime with other jobs).
It would be convenient if everyone was having a smooth adoption and felt confident in the process....but that is for "Fairy World"....not appropriate for a PAP that is spending their lifesavings on an unknown. You can bet that Kevin and I get no pleasure or comfort posting news when it makes adoptions look bad. It is painful.
As it stands, we have a list of attorneys and agencies that I would like to publicly bash for the horrible treatment of children and parents alike. We can't...While there may be a "few" bad apples....those FEW have caused quite a bit of damage.
...and if you think its appropriate to blame your doctor for a health issue that he diagnosed, or blame your accountant for your tax return...then it follows you would blame us for the state of Guatemalan adoptions. I really model our function after a doctors. Yes, we diagnose the problem....but we are proactive about solutions and we know the "patient" needs help.
Yes, we try to be balanced. Yes, we believe Adoptive Parents have a RIGHT to know what is going on. Yes, we'll fight to CORRECT the problems instead of denying that they occur. Yes, we are still fighting to keep the adoption option open for children in need of families.
....and I hope you will take a hard look at the history of Guatemala. You might be surprised to know that the attack on Guatemalan adoptions was LONG BEFORE Guatadopt.com was created.
Posted by: Kelly (founder) at January 7, 2008 01:29 PMto Concerned Parent,
When I read a post such as yours I wonder what truly lies behind it. I believe in adoption with all my heart, but not in they way it has been. All the power has been in the hands of the agencies and attorneys ( and let's not forget facilitators like Mary Bonn) leaving PAP with little or no recourse when they are treated poorly.
Navigating the laws and whims of the US and Guatemala is difficult enough, without also dealing with unethical ( and sometimes criminal) agencies. To keep quiet and ignore the bad only opens the door for more of the same.
I am parent who risked my adoption in order to help shut down Reaching Arms. WIthout the help of Guatadopt and other families willing to speak out they would still be in business. Still lying and threatening and breaking the law.
I know that speaking out and going public has saved many families heartache. I know that it has given other families courage to speak out also. To blame the Guatadopt team for the "mess" of Guatemalan adoptions is ill considered. I blame all the agencies and APs who have known about the "bad apples" and have done nothing. Who are more concerned with how it affects their business or family, instead of pushing for transparency and ethics in adoption.
To me, it is not good enough to simply have my daughter home. I am not going to now forget all we have been through. Laws need to change and I will continue to speak out.
Posted by: tinia at January 12, 2008 03:28 PM