Name, address & fax of rep

Dear *************,

In a previous letter to your office (dated ************), we described the current situation of disrupted intercountry adoptions of Guatemalan children by U.S. families. The welfare of many future U.S. citizens (including our child) has been jeopardized since Guatemala acceded to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, effective March 5, 2003.

We are encouraged by recent information that suggests that the U.S. Department of State seems to be broadening its efforts to resolve the current difficulties. This has come about as result of the large volume of faxes, letters, and phone calls the Department of State has received from adoptive families and their elected representatives across the country urging them to pursue third party status for all pending and future U.S. adoptions. This request for third party status would result in all U.S. adoption cases being processed under pre-March 5 (pre-Hague treaty) procedures until: (a) the Guatemalan Congress writes new adoption laws and procedures, or (b) the U.S. no longer qualifies for third party status because it has fully ratified the Hague Convention.

More than any other time since the Hague Convention became effective in Guatemala over four months ago, our congressional representatives are in a position to profoundly impact the timing and conditions under which thousands of future U.S. citizens will be permitted to join their forever families. We respectfully request that you please contact the Department of State directly (see contact information below) and strongly urge them to assert the third party status of the U.S. in relation to the Hague Convention and thus, that U.S. adoptions be processed under pre-Hague procedures. The Department of State is at a critical juncture in negotiating with Guatemalan officials about which procedures (pre- or post- Hague) will be used to process U.S. cases. Therefore, your intervention would be most effective if initiated immediately. For your reference, we have attached the most recent letter we sent to the Department of State regarding this matter.

We greatly appreciate your continued support and intervention in this matter. If you have any questions or require additional information regarding anything related to this issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at **************.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Your Address

Contacts for U.S. Department of State:

1) Ms. Michelle Bernier-Toth

Director, Office of Children’s Issues

U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street, N.W.

SA-22, Room 2100

Washington, D.C. 20520-4818

Phone: 202-312-9730

Fax: 202-312-9743

2) Mr. Steve Vann

Adoption Division Chief, Office of Children’s Issues

U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street, N.W.

SA-22, Room 2100

Washington, D.C. 20520-4818

Phone: 202-312-9688

Fax: 202-312-9743