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Dateline NBC has set up a website in preparation for their show on Guatemalan adoptions airing Sunday, January 20th, at 7 pm (ET). On this webpage you can enter a photo or video and share your family’s adoption story with the possibility of it being shown on Dateline. Personally I will not be sending anything in as I’m more than wary of the context it could be put in.
An article by NBC correspondent Victoria Corderi “graces” the front page of the webpage. One sentence in the first paragraph immediately angered me. “The market is driven by the demand for adoptions from prospective parents in the U.S.” Market? Did any of you look at your adoption as a market, and your child a product that could be bought there? This is a stab at the system, but highly insensitive and demeaning to the children we have adopted and to us, their parents.
I strongly disagree that more children are available for adoption because people want to adopt. This is a myth perpetuated by anti-adoption sources. When adoption is not available, some children do stay with their birth parents, while others are taken to orphanages, and the much less fortunate are left on streets or in garbage cans.
From Victoria’s description of the upcoming program, it will be interesting, upsetting and perhaps even more than a little one sided. I will be out of town with no computer access at the time, but I will be responding when I get back.
And here’s more information on the adoption process in Guatemala from the JCICS. I’ve summarized the important information for you, but if you have time you can read it at this link.
1. PGN stopped processing pending cases, new cases, and cases with previos on 1/1/08. After all these cases are registered with the new Central Authority, they will continue processing them.
2. All cases in process must be registered within 30 business days of 1/1//08 which would make the “due” date 2/11/08. The Central Authority is responsible for making this process as smooth and organized as possible, and clearly defining the term “cases in process.”
3. The Joint Council continues to recommend that new adoptions not be started. At this point in time, there is no possibility to even start a new adoption with the Guatemalan government. In addition, until a US agency is accredited under Hague Convention regulations, they cannot facilitate adoptions from Guatemala. The Hague Convention will go into force on April 1st, 2008 in the US.
Representatives of the JCICS are planning to meet with the new president in February, and are keeping close tabs on the “in process” cases. They made their own list of criteria for being “grandfathered in” under the old adoption system, but ultimately the Central Authority will make that decision.
Meanwhile, the Department of State (DOS) has issued a warning against initiating new Guatemalan adoptions due to all the unknowns of the new adoption system. This makes sense to most of us, but if there are still agencies out there trying to get people to accept referrals, I strongly suggest that they be reported to the JCICS. In my opinion, at this point that would be highly unethical, and any agency doing it should not receive accreditation to continue adoptions under the Hague Convention.
The DOS didn’t fail to mention that the US may not continue to allow adoptions from Guatemala after we implement the Hague on April 1st, 2008 unless all of Guatemala’s adoption procedures meet Hague requirements. They also stated that under the new Guatemalan adoption law, only people living in countries that function under the Hague Convention can adopt from Guatemala in the future. The DOS promises that the US Embassy in Guatemala will continue to process cases that exit PGN.
Could folks PLEASE stop refering to babies like they are imported cars or something?
It’s crawling under my skin along with all the other things that are annoying me.
Why caren’t any of these respectable news sources talking about the real reason why children are available for international adoption, or at least one factor?
Poverty! A lack of resources for children, and other complex elements that are overlooked.
Well said.
Lisa S.
I think I may need a very strong drink while watching this…
There are a lot of families I know that won’t be watching this either.
I personally think it’s nice you decided to adopt, but I think it’s a disgrace to all of you who have failed your OWN country with adoptions. Instead of wasting your money on adopting and supporting from other countries, concentrate on helping 10000 of helpless children born in your OWN country that are born and left every day on YOUR hospital doorsteps from irresponsible parents who had children out of wedlock and not ready to raise kids. As a health care worker, and former American adopted child, is a disgrace that you refuse to help my fellow american brother’s and sisters to have a chance at a nice home life. If you did your research, you would see, in KEY WEST alone, they have one of the highest percentage of homeless children needing a good home. If you like Guada that much, then move there and help support their government and humans.
Refuse? How do you know that folks here haven’t done both? Or aren’t considering? Or haven’t tried to adopt from the system+ only to meet with red tape?
It would be much more useful to, instead of blasting people for wanting to adopt internationally (and the thing that hurts the most and is deeply depressing is as bad as children have it here there are kids that have it even worse. We have a foster care system that is broken, but at least even when a child ages out of the system they can get some government support, children in other parts of the world don’t even have a support system.)it would be more useful to push for foster care reform. That is what is needed in this country. The system has to be reformed in such a way that children don’t languish for years in the system without a stable home and family to call their own. Write your senators, write judges, push for change.
Because what it all boils down to is EVERY single child in the world deserves our love and compassion and protection. Each and every child in America, Guatemala, Brazil, Russian, Romania deserves a kind, loving home, safe, free of abuse and cruelty where they can grow up strong and content.
Sadly, that doesn’t exist yet, but it doesn’t mean we can’t push for it, right?
(gently changing subject)
so Lisa did you watch last night?
I taped and will watch later.
am apprehensive as Im sensing it’s gonna get me IRRITATED!
To mkinpa,
Nice of you to share your thoughts but truthfully you are way out of line. It is none of your business and you have no right to decide where anyone should adopt from. There are no boundaries when it comes to children that need a home. The fact is that America is not the only place where there are children in need of a family. To decide that they don’t count because they aren’t one of us is an idiotic statement. I have adopted both domestically and internationally and will probably do both again. I feel that both my children should have the right to a safe and loving homelife. So, next time you leave a comment, why don’t you refrain from leaving negative remarks. My mom use to say if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all. Try that sometime.
As my regular readers know, I was out of town for a week with no computer access until today (Jan. 23rd). I did see the Dateline NBC show about adoption in Guatemala and will respond to it in a blog.
Regarding Mkinpa (why no name??) I think my other readers’ responses were excellent and I’ll say no more. I feel no need to justify my decision to adopt from Guatemala to anyone.
Lisa S.