[kzwief]

Looks like he is trying to address the current situation.

Dear Mrs. Z:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the recent changes in the adoption process in Guatemala . As the Co-Chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoptions, I am working hard to ensure that families attempting to adopt children from Guatemala can continue to do so.

As you may know, Guatemala has stated that it will become a Hague Convention country on January 1, 2008, and the Government of Guatemala has informed the State Department that they will not process adoption cases that do not meet Hague standards after December 31, 2007. They have also stated they will not process adoptions for non-Hague member countries after December 31. This could result in Guatemala halting the processing of adoptions to the United States beginning January 1, 2008, until U.S. accession to the Hague Convention takes effect. The U.S. has not yet ratified the Hague Convention but may do so in the next year.

The State Department has recommended that prospective adoptive parents defer plans to begin an adoption in Guatemala until the legal and procedural issues described above have been resolved.

I am concerned that the changes to adoptions in Guatemala could negatively affect the ability of U.S. citizens to adopt from the country. I am worried about what Guatemala 's new regulations will mean for U.S. families - not only for future adoptions, but also adoptions already in progress. It is important that the State Department and the government of Guatemala work expeditiously to clarify the path forward and resolve any current obstacles.

You will be happy to know that I have sent a letter to the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala and the President of Guatemala seeking clarification and resolution regarding the new adoption requirements. Please know that I will continue working to ensure that American families continue to be able to adopt loving children in Guatemala .

Inter-country adoptions are important to me. I believe that there is no such thing as an unwanted child, just unfound families. I believe all youth deserve a loving family and a future of hope. It has been my great pleasure to help Minnesota families with their international adoptions. Over the past four years, my office has helped nearly 400 families connect with children from all over the world.


Thank you once again for contacting me. I appreciate hearing from you and hope you will not hesitate to contact me on any issue of concern to you.


Sincerely,
Norm Coleman
United States Senate

[pjkay720]

That's great that he responded to you in such a nice letter. I love his statement where he said he believes there is "no such thing as an unwanted child, just unfound families"

[hopeful4baby]

It's reassuring to know that there are people at these levels who are working hard for us--helping to bring Katelyn and Will and all of the children home.

[LestWeForget]

I've been in direct contact with my Congressman, Mike Rogers (3rd District AL) for the last 3 months. I was shocked at how much he and his office actually know...and have been learning...about the Guatemalan adoption issue. They've been helping us so much, I've decided I'm going to return the favor and help him get re-elected as much as I can. The ones that remember they are elected servants of the people are the ones that need to be re-elected.

[sophia07]

That's funny. I had a completely different take on that letter. It reminded me of UNICEF's letter. It gave all the wording that sounds good but said nothing about letting existing cases be grandfathered under the existing law. In fact, he said he wanted clarification on what the new requirements will be. There shouldn't be any new requirements to our cases if the true definition of grandfathering were implemented!

That does not give me a warm and fuzzy especially since he is on the Adoption Comittee.

Just my opinion...
Clare

[allerseelen4]

Sounds like he is on the ball. Awesome.

[JustBarbara]

First off I think it's great that he responded. And of course he can't say anything about grandfathering cases because we don't know what exactly that would mean - what is a case in process? POA? Referral? Who knows. The more official inquiries that are sent down to Guat the better chance of a 'good' outcome.

[joelynn]

Originally Posted by LestWeForget

I've been in direct contact with my Congressman, Mike Rogers (3rd District AL) for the last 3 months. I was shocked at how much he and his office actually know...and have been learning...about the Guatemalan adoption issue. They've been helping us so much, I've decided I'm going to return the favor and help him get re-elected as much as I can. The ones that remember they are elected servants of the people are the ones that need to be re-elected.

Amen!!

[maccafan]

Even though this isn't anything "official," I find it comforting to hear how hard your senator is working to make sure we can bring our kids home. Thank you so much for sharing! I've gotten zero responses to all my emails; very disappointing!

[Jaycee12]

We are one of the families that Norm Coleman and the wondeful people at his office helped! We were stuck in PGN for over 9 months and then had another delay with the Embassy. They were very helpful, kind, considerate and returned my calls and answered my inquiries faster than my agency and my lawyer (I was living in Antigua fostering for 3 months!).

He is on our side and does work diligently. I have every confidence that he will continue to do so. After 15 months in process, we were able to bring our angel home on May 30th. She has adjusted well (which I was worried about because she was 15 months old) and everything has been perfect.

It was the hardest thing in the world to wait, but it was soooooooooooooo very worth it!

Good luck to you and your family!
Carolyn