[tinaedmond]

Does anyone happen know how much a domestic adoption costs if you are a citizen of Guatemala? Please PM me if you know. Thanks!

Tina

[becky]

I have heard that many of the adoption attorneys will do it for almost free...possible just the cost of filing the papers, etc. They are always anxious to place children domestically if possible and in doing so they try to make it as affordable as possible.

[Janette Monteil]

I have heard that some adoption attorneys will do it for almost free. If you are on the "big list" I would ask Susana Luarca about it. Do you live in Guatemala at this time?

janette

[KevinK]

The ADA does offer free legal services though no one has taken them up on it. They had an office open for a year and closed it because of a lack of response. Though a lot of people don't know about it. One Guatemalan couple I know who is dealing with infertility was quite surprised when I told them. I'm hoping tehey may opt to be the first.

Most "adoptions" that occur domestically happen under the table and are never really registered as such. It sounds more sinister than it is. Things will happen where, for example, the ** will check into the hospital under the adoptive mother's name so that the initial cirth certificate is registered as if the adoptive family was the biological family.

If you're really interested, there is a great section on this in the Families Without Border report you can download at www.familieswithoutborders.org. It is a long report (60+ pgs) but well worth the read.