This day will no doubt go down in Guatemalan history as the day the Adoption Law was passed, and the Guatemalan adoption process changed forever. The law is scheduled to be implemented on December 31st, 2007

The new Central Authority will be called the Consejo Nacional de Adopciones (CNA), and its directors will include one representative from the Supreme Court, The Social Welfare, and The Foreign Affairs Ministry. They have two weeks to choose a representative and sixty days to write regulations.

Adoptions in process have to be registered within thirty days of the law going into effect; how exactly this will be done is still a huge unknown. At what stage the adoption is grandfathered in has yet to be announced as well. During the next few days and weeks more information will be released to the lawyers, the agencies and the parents.

Waiting parents will have to be patient but yet persevering to see their adoptions completed. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to bring our children home need to do whatever we can to support and aid them during this period.

The US Embassy needs to do everything in their power to give out DNA authorization and Pre Approvals in a timely manner, even if it means hiring more staff. The DOS that pushed hard to have this law approved in Guatemala needs to stand by the citizens of the United States and provide assistance wherever it is needed.

As I sit here typing on my laptop in bed, my sweet Guatemalan born daughter sleeping quietly beside me, I can’t help but feel terrible sadness for the parents in process, the children waiting, and the future of Guatemalan adoptions in general. I don’t want this to be the end of road for adoptions from Guatemala, and until the door is closed tightly and the lights turned off, I won’t believe it is.

Good thoughts and love to all the waiting parents and children.