[mindy41065]

My agency just sent me a email saying that they are trying to stop the adoptions in Guatemala. It is being presented to the Congress of Guatemala September 12th. Could be passed that day if they get a 2/3 majority which is very rear. If it passes it would go into affect in 8 days. It will affect families that have not received a referral yet. They are telling us to go to the web site congreso.gob.gt/gt/diputados.asp. Click on a Congressman and tell them your story and send pictures of you and your baby. Ask them what will happen to the 3000 babies that are adopting each year. If you have any questions just email me and i can go into more detail about the letter they sent. Thank you

[Anne22]

Mindy --

Take a look at the information presented in other posts here and also the information on www.guatefam.org and www.guatadopt.com for more information about the proposal, its history and what is known about the current status.

Your agency has presented the worst case scenario, which isn't necessarily accurate. I don't know that it's inaccurate, but I know that my agency and others disagree that the vote on or about September 13th is considered the third and final reading of the proposal and that the proposal's passage is imminent.

Anyway, we'll see I guess.

I feel a little weird, personally, e-mailing members of a foreign country's Congress. Why would they care what I think??? I'm not one of their constituents.

Has anyone else on this board e-mailed members of the Guatemala Congress before??? e.g., during the Hague mess????

[kauai2k]

I started a thread the other day about who has heard what from their agency. Check out the posts on " Agency Feedback re: Proposed Changes".
Diane

[Anne22]

FYI, I just saw a post on the "big list" that recommended that if people do e-mail members of the Guatemalan Congress, they should word their e-mails so as to convey great respect for these legislators, rather than to convey their anger and fear about the proposed changes to Guatemalan adoption law.

Thought I'd pass this along because it seemed like a wise suggestion to me.

[Corolla]

I doubt the congress is going to be positively influenced with a picture of some American with an adoptive child along with a desperate note. The persuasion would come with pictures of the children at the Guatemala City Dump trying to survive. Most likely there will be more children living and dying in the streets or at the dump with the upcoming proposal.

Unicef doesn't give us, adoptive parents, enough credit. My hope is my daughter may someday give back to her birthplace whether it's through pride, education and/or financially...

[IG1995]

When we went for pick up of our daughter a month ago our facilitator in Guatemala was telling us that they are trying to close the adoption process.

[lovelivvy]

There is no way they would stop adoptions completely-the overflow of children in orphanges would be astounding, and then women would have no place to give their children to-leading to abandonment. Go to guadadopt.com***there is a good summery of this proposal.
Prayer would not hurt us now.

[debragm]

Bumping this up. This is the third time tonight that I heard that the Congress vote is next week. Keep those prayers coming!!