[paben1]

Hello Everyone,

We are in the process of meeting with our Congressmen, with the hopes of reaching the President and the First Lady. Anyone with any thoughts or ideas to pass along, please feel free to add to this thread. Or if anyone his met with their Congressmen, what questions did you ask?

Thank's
Pat

[graciemom]

I would love to put in a plea for more help or more efficiency (or both!) at the Embassy in Guatemala.
Chris

[becky]

Pat,

What is the purpose of your meeting? Are you looking for ways to improve the adoption system in Guatemala?

If you are there are just a few parts of the process that the US government has actual control over...and those all involve the CIS and US embassy.

You could ask for some consistency in the approval process here in the US. Some CIS offices take weeks to issue the 171H, others take months.

You could also ask for additional staffing at the US Embassy in Guatemala. This would help in the issuance of DNA approval (currently attorneys must wait in line, and can only apply for 4 cases per day). You could also ask for additional staffing in the area that issues Visa Preapprovals...so that cases that are under investigation can be handled much more quickly. Also parents whose cases are under investigation need to be told what is happening with their cases, and why.

Finally, additional staffing in the area that issues Visas at the end of the process.

Basically...we need more staffing to handle all of the adoptions in Guatemala!

As for the US involvement in the 'politics' of new adoption laws in Guatemala...there is no place for it. The laws that are currently proposed are unconstitutional in Guatemala and the US has no place advocating for these laws to be passed.

Off my soap box now....

[csw]

Well said Becky, as usual!!
I also would like to see CIS have a quicker time frame and more consistencies...I have heard one mom who had the 171H in her mailbox 1 week after submitting her homestudy and being fingerprinted, and one woman waiting 7 months. I got refigerprinted weeks ago, electronically, and haven't even heard if they went through or not..then have a terrible time trying to get a "real" person! CIS has been one of my major frustrations.
Also, waiting six weeks last year for our dossier at the Guatemalan Embassy in D.C....that is ridiculous. They told me that they only have 1 lady who does it and she is out sick!!
Thanks for trying to help the process , hope you get all the way to the President! Cathy

[Kesti]

I spoke to my congressman about our paperwork being hung up in the embassy in DC and he stated that the U.S. has no control over an embassy from another country which is in alignment with what Becky is saying. The only thing they can help with are issues related to the U.S., basically what they have control over. Our congressman told us to think of the Embassy that is located here as dealing directly with another country because that is what you are doing even though the embassy is located on U.S. soil.

Kesti

[KevinK]

I think there is some space to ask for more staffing at teh embassy but let;s face facts: the economy stinks, we're going to have a record deficit, and I have to guess that most DHS funds are being earmarked to "counter-terrorism" measures. And while adoptions may be accused of many things, terrorism is not one (unless of course you happen to be a member of the teacher's union...).

IMHO, the main thing we need to be lobbying for is to have the U.S. try to work with the Guatemalan government and the world community at large to lead the way into adoption reforms that make some frickin sense and are not detrminental to the children they seek to prevent. I think we need to have our government dispel the lies being promulgated about ICA from Guatemala. Not to rehash bad memories, but when the U.S. Ambassador shows up at the BH trial, who is being accused of claiming that the US is issuing visas to chlidren who have been stolen, to support him, that IS our government essentially agreeing with BH.

I have met with my reps. Basically, you will have about 1/2 hour to give a presentation. They will sit and listen. So you need to be clear, concise, provide some documentation (even just things you have printed off of Guat adopt or something), and most importantly, let them know what you wnat from them.

I think if you read the SATC post on guatadopt it is a good overall synopsis of the situation. The media petition also does so. In the archives of Guatadopt there was an e-mail campaig that also got into the faulty press coverage and the impact it has on us and our children. These are all things that I have personally written so I am familiar with them (I'm not trying to toot my own horn, they just come top of mind). The Families Without Borders report is extensive! As a leave behind, it shows that we know our sh*t! And on guatadopt there is also the congressional info packet that we developed in the Bay Area. It is was geared around the Hague scare but works nonetheless.

If I can help you with this, feel free to PM me and maybe we can talk this weekend.

Off my soapbox now!

-Kevin

[Kesti]

You seem to be on top of all of this more than most, are you an attorney? What is your background? Are you assoicated with any of these adoption sites/organizations?

Kesti

[paben1]

Becky

The purpose of or meeting is actually a two phase process to try and open the door for future adoptions to run smoothly. We are bringing four adoptive parents and the coordinator of inter-country adoptions/cis. We realize our time will be short so all of our paper work will be in order. An outside source will be providing evidence of how the process is in shambles. With a little luck and God’s will we can get a meeting in Washington where we can add a “sub-group” consisting of scholars, lawyers from Gaut. and very possibly President Berger himself. The group has very powerful connections that are trying to add/change parts of the Valladeres Law which is destine to pass in one form or another. I feel so strongly about the future of the children in Guat. and the adoptive parents and especially the way singles are treated. Everyone waiting for their children we have found an ear that will listen. With the help of this powerful group someone has to try and reach the President and the opportunity has happened. With this being and election year they can use this for their political gains. We realize we are the small fish in a huge ocean but maybe, just maybe it will work. All of the issuses you and Kevin have mentioned will be addressed.

Pat

p.s. Johnny Depp will win tomorrow….lol

[SHS]

One other thing that I wish congress would consider is time off for adoptive parents. Although we can take FMLA, this is unpaid. Even though some companies will allow some adoptive parents to have paid time off, it is not a requirement. The health and well-being of our adopted children, due to attachment and development issues, is critical when they first come home to be with us. Without paid time off, we are limited to vacation/sick time or unpaid time off. I don't know about everyone else, but after going through the expense of an adoption, I can't afford to be off work for a long period of time.

[Mary Mulcahy]

Pat, I just caution you to be very careful about your meeting with the COngressman about GUATEMALAN Adoptions. Just remember all the negative press from the article published in the CHicago Tribune last September and how this generated negative press. The only thing we can work on is to speed up our end, re CIS approval, visa approval, Embassy approval. I would caution you to be very careful about the Guatemalan side unless you want it to blow up. As a single parent and hopefully adopting #2, Some of the things that PGN wants make sense re: male role models for single moms. SOme of it is just stuff, but we need to be careful about getting our government overly involved in another government or they may decide to side with the anit adoption forces.
As always my opinion
Mary, single mom to Daniel, home December 24, 2002
and working on #2

[KevinK]

Kesti, I Pm'd a response to you because I wasn't sure if you asked me or someone else about being a lawyer. I was just back on this thread and saw it was in fact a question for me. So I figured I ought to answer publicly.

I'm not a lawyer. Funny thing is the last time I was asked if I was a lawyer was by a UNICEF official who couldn't answer a question I gave her about the CRC... I am just an adoptive parent. I'm just someone who is an activist and doesn't feel good about himself unless I'm inovolved in something for the greater good. Professionally, I do marketing for a food manufacturer. I'm in no way employed in the adoption industry.

I am not involved with the Forums outside of participating. I am a writer on Guatadopt. I am on the BOD of Focus on Adoption. I was one of the writers of the Families Without Borders report on UNICEF. And I am one of the people who helped put together the Bay Area congressional info packet (though that one was mostly led by two other folks out here).

-Kevin