One reason I participated in this story was the fact that Victoria had relation from Guatemala. This in itself would add sincerity and an effort to relay facts and not just sensationalism.  Hopefully most viewers will see through the "smoke" of the few corrupt and see the good that international adoption has brought to our family and many many others through perfectly legal and ethical means.

It is our three little angels that are displayed on this website.  

Troy Webb

Obviously I havent seen the piece yet but I'm so curious to know why people insist on believing that children are abducted and "sold" into adoption.  How is that possible when the birth mother and child's DNA is compared TWO times during the adoption process by labs in the USA (vis the US Embassy) and the birth mothers have FOUR times during the process where they have to "sign off" consenting the adoption??

I realize these stories get ratings and that catchy titles and subtitles about things like baby snatching and selling are great for journalists...I wonder though, do the producers and journalists think about the impact that stories like this can have on the adopted children who are being raised in the US?   Do they THINK about what these "fantastic tales" can do to a family?  

Why, I just want to know WHY the focus of things is on a few corrupt people? Especially when the USA has clearly taken appropriate measures to make sure these things dont happen.  

I am an adoptive mother of two children born in Guatemala.  While there is no way to deny that adoptions in Guatemala need a major overhaul, I pray that my impression of the legality and ethical way my adoptions occurred is accurate.  I am concerned, however, that the conclusion was made that Guatemalan adoptions are solely fueled by Americans' desire to adopt children.  Guatemala is a country where unwanted pregnancies, poverty, etc. also create situations where children are born into circumstances where they cannot be cared for.

We successfully adopted from Guatemala, but it was a very lengthy and stressful process.  Not only did the chaos within the Guatemalan government create delays, our own US adoption agency failed miserably to meet their contractual obligations to us.  Only by the grace of God and some honest Guatemalan attorneys were we able to navigate the process successfully. I don;t know what the right process should be....but it's is a shame that the children are suffering.  This issue alone should drive all parties to a commonly accepted and properly regulated process.  

I am in the process of adopting a little girl from Guatemala. She is now almost 9 months old and has been with a foster family since her birth. We are nearing the end of the process, and I hope she will be home soon. I chose international adoption because as a single, 43-year-old woman I had limited choices in growing my family. I have a 5-year-old son and always hoped for more than one child. Guatemala is one of few countries that will allow single people to adopt. I believe reform is definitely needed with regards to Guatemalan adoptions, but I also believe that many of the adoptions from that country are legitimate and true blessings. I look forward to the Dateline report, and I do hope the media will continue to report on this story and all sides of it -- in particular now that the new law has passed. I'd especially like to see a in-depth story on Guatemalan mothers who made the choice to put their children up for adoption. The indigenous people, in particular the women, have many struggles and hardship, and many make the choice -- as heartbreaking as it is -- so their children will have a better life. In the case of the new law in Guatemala, the freedom to make that difficult choice has been stripped from the women and handed to the state. I personally don't beleive that is the best answer.
peace,
Beth

Obviously many of the things uncovered have happend. I don't think corruption has played a part in every case, but I believe it is out there. It may have even happend to mine, I will never know. What I do know now, is that thousands of Guatemalan children are now with US families. Including mine. Now what? These are children that are in need of support from both countries so that they may grow up to be proud to be both Guatemalan and American. I am really tired of the comments from people in the US, in the presence of my son, about his adoption. I am afraid to take him to Guatemala for fear he will be rejected there as well. What happend in Guatemala was never his fault. I wish the negativity would not fall on the children, they are the innocent ones.

By all means, there has been corruption and there is much room for reform in inter-country adoption from Guatemala.  As a multicultural family (I'm from the United States; my wife and adopted daughter are both from Guatemala) we pray that the new laws do not literally "throw the baby out with the bath water."  We also hope that Dateline shows a realistic and honest story of the realities of inter-country adoption, and not just more of the same sensational garbage that has flooded American television over the past year.

My husband and I are also in the process of adoption from Guatemala.  Our son is nine months old and has also been in foster care since birth.  I have two biological children from a previous marriage.  My husband and I have tried to have a biological child for six years with no success.  Adoption seemed the next logical step.  One of the reasons we chose Guatemala was the fact the children were in private foster care versus an orphanage.  We also liked the fact the children were given excellent medical care, which we are able to review.

What saddens me is that the media focus more on corruption than the positive aspects.  I do not want my two biological children seeing these articles and being left with the impression that there is something dirty and wrong with their guatemalan brother.  We have taken steps to help insure that our adoption is completely on the up-and-up.  I don't want my adopted son to feel that there is something wrong with him because of the negative stories.  I wish the media would focus a little more on the process adoptive parents are required to go through.  Take the viewers through it step by step.  Let everyone see that it isn't about handing over a check and get a baby.  I know bad things happen but there are a lot more of us out there that are trying to make sure all of the rules are followed.  When is it time to tell our story?

My husband and I adopted our gift from God- from Guatemala in 2005. The thought of any part of the process being unethical is heartbreaking. What do I tell my child when she's older and questions the adoption process in Guatemala? I understand and respect the fact that this needs to be investigated. However, I wish that more stories could be done about the incredible gift from God that adoption is. Come see my child and how she is thriving vs being left to pick through garbage for food so that she can survive. I don't see any investigations/money or discussions regarding this aspect!
Angela

What comes to mind when one hears about Guatemala adoptions?
There have been plenty of news reports about the negative side (“…corruption, lies, forgery, kidnapping…”).
And certainly, there have been reports of Guatemalan mothers who are paid to deliver babies for prospective adoptive parents.

However, as much as I Google these reports, I fail to find anything about those children (toddlers and older) who are in orphanages…and the people (like my wife and I) who have been waiting nearly a year to clear all the legal hurdles in order to adopt Ana, a five-year-old girl.

Our latest dilemma came today, from our adoption agency, when we were informed that (and I’m quoting verbatim from the e-mail they sent us today):

“I have found out that the case of Ana is not in the PGN. It was never in the PGN. The person handling the case for the attorney lied about the case number so we were checking on the wrong  It took weeks to get any information and I finally confirmed this morning that the attorney office only picked up the Consent on December 13. It was ready in September as I recall. I have no idea why the would wait months to pick up the Consent.

We finally tracked down the Social Worker in the Family Court to see if there was something wrong with the Family Court report. She said that she did the first interview in August but needed the birth mother to come back. The BM never came back and the office kept telling the FC that they could not find her. Of course, we were never told any of this. We were told that the case was in the PGN under a different case number. Further more, the Social Worker said that the BM advised her that she was changing her mind and wanted Ana back and that the office refused. The SW said that she pushed the BM on this issue to see if it was true but the BM suddenly changed her mind again saying that she knew the adoption was the best thing for Ana. I stressed to the SW that no mention could be made of that conversation otherwise the PGN would stop the case. The SW said it is not in the report.

Now that the attorney has the Consent (months late) and has the Family Court report all but completed, the file will be finally going to the PGN. BUT the PGN is not accepting new cases at this time. The POA was registered forever ago so it is considered Grandfathered in but the PGN is not accepting any cases for the first time or even any cases that were out on a Previo. Nothing is going into the PGN.

This is totally unacceptable and we can not apologize enough for the deceit that was used to us and that we passed along to you. We checked on the case by the case number that we were given...unfortunately it was not the case number of Ana Yasmin.

At this time, we are told that the PGN will most likely start accepting cases again about the end of the month. The Central Authority has been formed and is expected to start working very quickly. There is a lot of pressure in Guatemala to get this going so no one is expecting it to take more than another few weeks. The entire PGN was shut down yesterday for the inauguration of the new President. Lets hope he has some common sense and will get the pending adoption cases completed. As much as we want Guatemala to open up to new adoptions ----we are much more concerned about simply getting the current cases completed and home.”

From what we were told, we’re not the only prospective adoptive parents in this situation.

The fact is, adopting a child at five or older comes with its own special issues…especially when that child has lived in an orphanage.

For the news media, there are plenty of angles in which to report on international adoptions.
I would encourage the news media to broaden their coverage to include other viewpoints.

I am anxious to see this piece when it airs.  I am truly hoping that it can portray all sides of this story instead of like most news stories on adoption which  use catchy titles and sensationalism to bring viewers in..  

Everyone who has been involved in Guatemalan  adoptions has to admit there is some corruption with in the system of the past..  But do you take and punish the entire system instead of going after the bad apples and punishing them  to the fullest extent of the law??   When a US citizen adopts from Guatemala they are required to go thru many reviews of their life and back ground before they are even given the permission (171H) from the US to adopt abroad.. then once  you are "matched" with a child from Guatemala  there is the 2 DNA tests, the 4 times the birth mother has to sign off as well as the family court and PGN.  

we brought our son home this year and he is the light of our lives..  I  fully believe our adoption was done legally and ethically..   At the end of the adoption we got to meet his birth mother and heard first hand why she choose adoption for her son..  i know the "current/old notorial" system does need some changes  to add in more checks and balances,  but why make changes to system at the expense of the children of  Guatemala.  the two greats part of the current/old system are  the  foster care system and that  the children come home relatively early..  the new system takes both of these away which is not in the best interest of the children of Guatemala..  When is it better to let children languish in institutions (orphanages) for lengthy periods(1 - 2 yrs)  than let them be raised from as early an age as possible in a loving and caring forever family??  Even if the children must be older before being able to be "elgible" for adoption  in the new system, they should be in a foster care system not orphanages..

Our son was adopted from Guatemala in 2007. He came home at a year old and it was not an easy process for us due to lengthy delays with more scrutiny from both governments. We were ok with that since, of course, we would want to know our child was being given up for adoption legally and willingly.  Both his birth Mother and birth Grandmother were part of the process on the Guatemalan side. We understand and recognize there are holes in the system and changes need to be made to make sure horrifying situations, like Victoria encountered, does not happen in any country. We also hope that the show is fair on what is the majority situation in that country vs. the exception.
International adoption has made our family what it is today. We want him to be proud of where he came from and secure in knowing it was in his best interest. We hope the piece will be sensitive to the children adopted from this country and the families that have been through a great deal to bring them here legally. Corruption happens in even rich countries like ours, but is this the norm? We hope positive changes will come about from the recent attention on Guatemala.

Hi All-
We brought our son home from Guatemala this past July of 2007.  He was 15 months old and "stuck" in the system for much longer than we expected.  I will share a story from our beginning of the process.  We have two biological children, a boy and a girl and decided to adopt any future children not out of medical or fertility purposes, purely out of desire and what felt right.  When we received our referral for our son in Guatemala, my heart soar with happiness and sank with sadness. Sadness that his birth mother would be unable to raise him.  Was it a financial decision for her?  I couldn't stop my questioning.. what if she was giving him up for reasons of financial insecurity while at the same time, we were paying a large amount of money in legal fees?  I called our facilitator and hogar director in Guatemala and asked her to contact the mother and let her know if it a financial reason that is primarily the cause for her to chose adoption, then I wanted her to know, that we could raise him together, her with her son in Guatemala and we would help with financing.  We are not overly wealthy compared to some Americans (I waitress so I am able to stay home full-time with the kids, if that puts us in perspective) but it felt right.  The birth mom thanked us but wanted a different life for her 4th born child. He is an indigenous Mayan from the Mam' tribe.  I guess the point of my story is that we must think about what women in our country would do if there were no domestic adoption options in place?  What would the system look like?  What options do many of these Guatemalan women have if adoption is the choice they are making?  It is a selfless act and one that I respect.  I am sure there is not a day that goes by in any woman's life who has given birth when that child is not in her heart or mind.
Having made three trips to Guatemala this year and having a nephew being adopted and coming home today! from Guatemala, I feel confident that the system is not only supportive of adoptive families but also of birth families.  I am aware of the corruption that plagues each and every aspect of any facet of life involving money.  It is human error and greed that must take responsibility for the small, small percentage but we must continue to model what is right.  I have the highest regard for the ethic of care in which my adoption was handled and others that I have been in contact with.

My wife and I are in the process of adopting our son from Guatemala.  I don't deny corruption exists in Guatemala, but I also believe corruption probably exists in any country where adoptions takes place, including the U.S.  Does that mean all adoptions are corrupt . . . absolutely not!!  I'd like to think that ours is completely legitamate.  My question then is:  Why is it only Guatemala that is being put under the microscope?  You can't tell me that all the adoptions from China and Russia, even the US, are free of corruption.  I don't mean to suggest their adoptions systems are corrupt- I'm sure they are not. Does Guatemala have some things they need to do better. . .  of course.  However, a large part of my heart resides in Guatemala, and always will, and it pains me to see it being chasticed for something that exists in every country in the world . . . GREED.  I think a better story for Dateline to do would be to examine what the conditions (living,econmical, political, etc.) of Guatemala that result in people having to make the decision to "sell" their baby.  This would be of more value, especially if it helps eduacate the US population resulting in some sort of aid for the people of Guatemala to help ease the aformentioned conditions.      

I am well aware there are problems. My daughter works in Guatemala for a fabulous agency but would have people come by her work all the time trying to sell a birth mother. They would not do this but it does exist. Often women would come for help. Our agency would take care of them while they were pregnant, give them shelter and food and education and then when the baby was born, these women would often say they changed their mind about adoption in order to go elsewhere and sell the baby. My agency would not buy babies and it is awful to think women would do this but poverty makes you do sad things. I think change is needed but I also hope the choice of adoption will continue and I also hope that the Guatemalan government will speed up the process in ambandonment cases. My son's case took 5 years to finish his abandonment and he is just now getting ready to join our family. I hope you will focus on what will happen in Guatemala without adoptions becuase that will be the saddest story.

We are in the process of adopting a little girl from Guatemala.  We have been waiting for over a year and the adoption has not yet been approved.  We hope and pray that there was no corruption in this process and we believe that to be true because of the reputable agency handling the adoption.

It is interesting that with all of the press about corruption in Guatemala, no one has compared it to adoption in the United States.  In the United States, advertising is placed in newspapers, financial offers are made to birth mothers, and U.S. attorneys receive a great financial benefit for handling domestic adoptions. We are sure there is also a level of corruption in our own country.  

This report is very educational regarding U.S. adoption:  www.adoptioninstitute.org/publications/2006_11_Birthparent_Study_Executive_Summary.pdf

No one in any country should be coerced to surrender their child, nor should there be financial incentives to do so.  We should take a hard look at the processes and practices in our own country as well.  And the priority should always be the children, providing safe and loving environments.

My wife and I have been involved now in the adoption process of a little girl from Guatamala for going on a year. Almost 3 years ago, we adopted a little girl from Russia and with the amount of kids in need of homes would never consider adding a child to our family any other way. In the entire time during our Guatamalan adoption, no agency or group that has been involved in the purposefull delaying of the adoption (and there have been many) actually care one bit about the child, who now legally has no parents and whom  has now been waiting to become part of a loving home. Instead, it's all about political grandstanding or posturing. It makes me sick. I hope this piece touches on how the child is not the main consideration in the process as whole.

Aslo, lets not forget that Gautemala is a very Catholic nation and children born out of wed lock may be a good reason: although POVERTY probably #1

I ask only that those doing the story and those reading the story do the right thing.  We should go after corruption and do everything in our power to ensure the worlds children are safeguarded.  With that said in the search for the truth please do not attack the families who have done things right and most importantly be very careful what is said about the children.  It is devastating to read some of the remarks made about our children that they will someday know about.  Our family did not ask for a child to be created for us.  We asked only to have the chance to be parents to a child who did not have a family.  Our son was born and available for adoption for almost two years before our path accidentally crossed his.  He's born now.  And so is our daughter.  If we had not adopted them what then?  Powerful people told us it was "sad" but to walk away.  That we were selfish to push for "our child" and not see the big picture.  We understand big picture.  But in the end its easy to talk about the big picture when you are not the one being left behind.  We are not discussing walking away from "things" these are children.  They have names. They have feelings. The worst thing I have ever seen people say in this whole debate is our children should not have been born.  The authorities need to prosecute those who are corrupt.  But when we do everything in our power to ensure we are following the rules and we've been blessed by all the powers to be please leave us alone.  The path is difficult for everyone involved most especially the children.  The birth parents, children, and adoptive parents need support not public condemnation.  I agree with Jason that some of the focus on Guatemala and not other countries is unusual and I feel some of this is racial.  When I brought up to some people about some of the same issues in countries like Russia noone cared.  

I have been in the process of adopting a little boy from Guatemala since July, 2005; our adoption agency bailed out on us over a year and a half ago; this agency (along with about 42 other agencies throughout the us) umbrellaed under a much larger agency; and in October of last year all the monies that was paid by over 260 families was lost through these said agencies because the money was never sent to Guatemala or Russia in order to even start or finish these adoptions.....this big agency filed bankruptcy in Fulton County, Georgia last year; and as of today no money has been returned to any of the parents, over 2 million dollars; we were one of the parents caught up in this mess; but our facilitator in Guatemala contacted us and asked us what we wanted to do about getting our son home; would we still be willing to pay him the money that he did not receive from our agency to continue with our adoption; we agreed!  We did not know at the time, that our adoption had never even started, 14 months after the fact; because the money was never sent!!!  We eventually did get the dna preapproval and now we have been kicked out of pgn since last year; and we wait some more; I would love to know if our facilitator is one of the guys that was interviewed; he has a notarious reputation in Guatemala and has a couple hundred open cases of adoption not completed; he owns a hogar and clinic where these women come in and leave their babies, etc.....blah blah, I could go on and on; beyond my families pain, beyond the two rooms that we had fixed up for this little boy, beyond the money; there are babies waiting to come home to loving homes that deserve these homes; there is corruption, but there is also many good reputable attorneys, agencies, I know that now; I know who they are, I know how they operate; I know of all of the pain, the lies and so much deceit, but we cannot forget the babies, I want to help no matter my hurt, I want to help to bring other babies home; because there is still hope, there needs to be change, please let my pain, my loss, my son, count for something good, a life for a life; let these children caught up in this mess, let it stand for something good, please paint this picture with a very broad stroke; there is good in Guatemala, there is hope; there can be change, and most change comes a great cost and great loss of life............please let it count for something.

Unethical Adoption Agencies who throw money around in poor countries can purchase referrals and even outbid other agencies.  This is babyselling and human trafficking.  There is STRONG evidence that this exists in Guatemala, Vietnam, Russia and any where else adoptions are taking place.  
You can watch the migration of Adoption Agencies, first it was Russia and China that were the hot spots, then both countries got fed up with Americans and placed restrictions on adoptions (14 children from Russia placed in American homes have ended up dead) then it was Guatemala and Vietnam.  Now the heat is on those two countries......the current hot spots for Adoption Agencies?  Ethiopia and Kazkhastan little wait time, and not many restrictions placed on their international adoptions.  
Lets wait for 2008 and the adoption stories that break out of Ethiopia and Kazkhastan.  
We have celebrities that adopt from Cambodia from an agency called Seattle International -was later closed down by the Attorney General for corruption and babyselling.  Then this same celebrity adopts from Ethiopia only to discover 2 months ago that the bio mother never died of AIDS but is alive.  The last adoption was 8 months ago in Vietnam.  Currently there are 26 parents sitting in limbo in Vietnam as they were issued NOIDS (Notice of Intent to Deny) because of bad documentation on the abandoned babies?
Until you parents demand more from adoption agencies you will get more of the same in every country.  Know your rights and research before you sign on the dotted line.

I am really pleased that Dateline took on this difficult topic and is uncovering the terrible reality of corruption (sales and theft) of children in Guatemala. While other posters point out that there are two DNA tests required, the second test has only been enforced since Aug 07. Before then, it is known that there has been some baby switching occuring. That is, the original baby that was correctly documented by Embassy standards is 'switched' at the last minute with a child that did not meet the Embassy standards (i.e a DNA match with a birth mother because of child theft). This is how the stolen babies entered the sending stream. I make this post with complete sorrow. The demand for babies outgrew the amount of infants available. Because very few US families were willing to entertain the idea of an older child--the demand set in and there were people in Guatemala who were unscrupulous entreprenuers, not adoption professionals. As Americans, we were willing to pay huge sums of money--20 times the average income of Guatemalans--for an infant. Yes, we have a responsibility here and it's time to come clean. I don't know what we will tell the 25,000 plus Guatemalan children now living in the US, but surely they'll find out. I'd like to close with the following. I have lived and worked in Guatemala in the area of child health. I am a licensed social worker. In the year 2000, while living in the country, I was approached and asked if I wanted to become an adoption facilitator. Thank goodness I had the head and heart to say 'no'! Of course, I had the credentials and skill set to work in other professional jobs in Guatemala. I think you will find that many of the adoption 'professionals' involved in Guatemala, the US citizens specifically, DO NOT have the training and credentials for international child welfare.  In fact, this is an example of a cottage industry. Many non-professionals figured out "how to" complete an adoption, built a relationship with a Guatemalan attorney, set up a website, and started operating out of their spare room. Can you imagine? Such sensitive and ethically loaded work being carried out by anyone who was convincing, had a saavy website, and got a word-of mouth-reputation. And, as for the professionals that had credentials and continued to operate in Guatemala once the US Embassy began to expose the problems--shame on you! Ethical professionals have an obligation to the greater good of society and 'do no harm'. I can think of no greater harm than using the wealth of an industralized society to leverage the infant off of a desperately poor woman--did you stick around to offer counseling? Think not because the Guate system was equivalent to a non-system. Seizing upon such a scenario is downright unethical--can't count on these professionals to safeguard anything, let alone human rights! They were securing their wallets and saying things like "our attorney is ethical." Well, that response may have marketed well for the short-term of attracting more prospective families, but I sincerely doubt that the children of Guatemala are gonna buy it as they try to reconcile what happened in their case! May the unethical characters hang their heads in shame as this is unraveled.

I am a mother of two beautiful boys from Guatemala.  I strongly believe that both of my boys adoptions were very ethical.  I know that there is need for reform in Guatemalan adoptions, but stopping all adoptions is not the answer.  I too wish that the media would stop saying that Guatemalan adoptions are only fueled by the demand of Americans wanting babies.  Anyone who has been to Guatemala knows the horrible poverty, malnutrition, lack of government programs and support for women and children. Please look at the statistics before you point the finger at the adoptive families for such a negative situation.  Guatemala is a very poor country that unfortunatly many children are born and unable to be cared for. It is a sad situation.  I hope that this Dateline story shows many of the positives involved in adoption from Guatemala.  I know that all of this negative talk is going to hurt many adopted children from Guatemala, wondering if they were stolen or sold and never wanted by their birth family.  I am preparing myself how to talk to my boys when they get older about everything that has been said about Guatemala adoption.  

I am frustrated to see that Dateline is planning to air a story that focuses only on the small percentage of adoptions in Guatemala that may be operating under unethical practices.  There are thousands of other adoptions that are completed by ethical lawyers and agencies, where corruption is not an issue.  I am disappointed that every story that airs seems to highlight the negative aspects of the system (which by the way, no longer exists after January 1st), which takes the focus off families who have completed successful, legal processes.  We never hear stories about the legality of adoptions in the United States, but I guarantee that there are ethical issues with cases here too.  
As someone who has been in process for almost a year and is still months away from having my son home, I can tell you that there are cases that are being processed legally.  If our lawyer and the system were entirely corrupt, why would people have to wait so long to get their children home?  I know I am not alone in having a process that is taking many more months than expected.  We accepted our son's referral when he was 2.5 weeks old, and now he's 9 months and we'll just praying to have him home by his first birthday.  I wish that others would take into consideration the feelings of people who are still in-process, and stop making the generalizations that there are so many cases that are being handled illegally.  It is extremely hurtful to us and our families.  I would like to see a story done investigating the lawyers and facilitators who have been working with adoptions for years, and have good track records for completing ethical, legal cases.  Or better yet, I would like to see attention given to the 3000+ of us who are still in-process and are being delayed because of new laws going into effect in both Guatemala and the United States.  Our son remains in a wonderful foster home, but he deserves to be home with his parents, who entered into this process under good faith that we would be able to complete an adoption in a timely manner.  Instead, we have faced delays instituted by the US Embassy, Guatemala's government, and the Hague Convention.  Responsible journalism would be to explore both sides of the story and present accurate information.  By looking at the 1-2% of cases that have legality issues, this is obviously not happening.

As adoptive parents of a daughter from Guatemala, my husband and I hope that the process in Guatemala will get a complete overhall. Yes, alot of families have been made and children have escaped horrific poverty, but the adoption process in Guatemala is a mess. I have learned more disturbing things about the process since we brought our daughter home.( Like adoptive parents getting on wait lists for  biological siblings from the birth mother.) We were lucky that the foster mother slipped us her phone number, so we were able to verify the social workers report. It turns out that our daughter's foster mother knew our daughter's birth mother and we were able to discover that nothing occurred that was questionable. I hope the new system will allow for the adoption of older children. We were open to an older child, but it was difficult to adopt an older child.

The new President of Guatemala seems to be less business friendly and more interested in helping the country become a better place for the people of Guatemala. President Colom although a leftist is not joining the "new left" of Latin America, but instead seems on a path that has not been taken since Arbenz was forced from office (by the US). I hope that President Colom will be able to raise the literacy rate, wages and create a better life for all Guatemalans, so evictions like those that took place in Guatemala in January 2006 (look up violoent evictions Guatemala on You Tube, it should still be there)will not occur anymore.

 AS adoptive parents it is difficult to watch shows like this one, but we should not take it as sensational journalism. Rather, we should learn from it and be apart of the solution and support change in a broken system, so a band-aid approach will not be taken. We love our children, no one is denying this, but we need to be a united voice that condems the current practices and encourage morality and ethics in adoption in Guatemala and throught the world.

To the poster Karen:
"Because very few US families were willing to entertain the idea of an older child"
Do you have hard stats for that?
Please share your information?
"As Americans, we were willing to pay huge sums of money--20 times the average income of Guatemalans--for an infant"
The price of adoption is almost the same rate for IVF treatment or Private Adoptions in the US with Surragate mothers"  Why don't people go after that?

"I don't know what we will tell the 25,000 plus Guatemalan children now living in the US"
So where are your stats, that all 25,000 plus children are illegally adopted?
Well now Karen you don't have to worry about it, since it will be nearly impossible to adopt children from Guatemala.

We brought our nine month old son home from Guatemala in 2007, after years of fertility treatments, and much time praying over the decision to adopt.  We chose Guatemala for a number of reasons.  One of the reasons we chose Guatemala was the fact the children were in private foster care versus an orphanage.  We also liked the fact the children were given excellent medical care, which we are able to review.  We met the foster mother on all 3 visits to Guatemala.  She is an absolute sweetheart!  Our son got great care from her while he lived with her.  He is now thriving at home with us.

Is there corruption in Guatemala adoptions?  Perhaps?  The same can probably be said in US adoptions, and adoptions from any foreign country.  Let's face it, any time that money is involved, somewhere, there will be corruption.

Does our child have a better life than he would have had if he were still in Guatemala?  Absolutely.

We considered US adoption, but many reasons kept us from doing so.  Agencies would not work with us as we were both over 40 years old.  Apparently, the young girls getting pregnant in the US think we'd be too old to parent their child.  Additionally, there are way too many stories of birth moms backing out at the last minute, and/or tracking down their child after the adoption.  We wanted neither of those situations.  It is highly unlikely that the birthmom from Guatemala will try to locate her son who is somewhere in the US.

We are glad to see some reforms to the Guatemalan adoption process.  But we are also very happy to have our son home with us, and very happy to have had three opportunities to visit his birth country and meet some truly wonderful people.

I look forward to the Dateline story this weekend.  I hope it is fair and balanced.  It needs to be.

Please consider committing (on air or at least on-line) to doing a follow-up segment on what happens to orphaned children after the Central Authority is in place for a year or two.  The follow-up story might include the state of orphanges (hogars) then and now.  Options for women then and now.  Adoptions then and now.  Please, do not let the children be forgotten.

Why are people adopting from Guatemala, or any foreign country for that matter?  Aren't there enough American children that could be adopted?

We are the proud parents of two Guatemalan angels.

Changes MUST be made in Guatemala- I would venture to say that most Guatemalan adoptive families would agree. The in country attorney fee's are astounding- and I am curious to know how much of the fee goes to assist the foster mother while caring for the children, how much the attorney's collect. Whenever cash is involved in a non regulated (and sometimes  regulated) process, corruption will be present. Unfortunately- this is the truth.

With that being said. We researched our agencies and choose a very special one- with a true heart for the children of Guatemala. They also have very reputable and ethical attorney's that they work with.

I feel confident in my heart that both of our children were brought into our lives in an ethical manner. I know that our children's birth mother's LOVED them and did what they had too, in order to give their children a chance to survive.

We also are still in touch with our daughter's foster mother- who is a special angel in our life. We are blessed to still have a connection to Guatemala.

One day we hope to reconnect with their birth mother's...I can only hope that we are making them proud.



While my husband and I are confident- that our children were placed in our family

My daughter was adopted from Guatemala over twenty years ago. She is a bright, caring, and beautiful young woman, about to finish college and start a career.  I'm sure that, even though corruption exists in some Guatemalan adoptions, the overwhelming majority are handled carefully and with only good intentions.  Please do not raise suspicion about all Guatemalan adoptions - it is not warranted, and, most importantly, is harmful to our children.  I'm very sorry to see the foster care system being abolished in Guatemala - it made all the difference for my daughter, who received excellent care.  I guess scandal attracts more viewers and readers than good news, but the fact is that the large majority of Guatemalan adoptions are all about good news and "happily ever after."

Adopting ANY orphaned or needy child is wonderful for all concerned, but it makes me sad to see that so many prospective parents now chose internatinal adoptions instead of providing loving homes for the thousand of children who are languishing in state and foster care right here in our own country.

Why are these people spending thousands of dollars to adopt children from other countries when there are so many children in need of homes right here in the United States???

The answers, of course, lie in the flawed structure of our own child welfare system, which places too many restrictions on prospective adopted parents and takes far too long to terminate the biological parents' rights.

Many needy children are in our country do not become free for adoption until they have languished in state care for years or have been taken from and returned to their parents several times.  But that time, they are too old and developed too many problems.

We need to stop trying to reunite these unfortunate children with criminal and unfit parents and remove them while they are still young enough to be adoptable.

The whole international adoption craze is a sad commentary on our own child welfare system, and it needs to be corrected so that people don't have to look elsewhere to adopt infants.

Why single out Guatemala as the only country with corruption in the adoption process.  We adopted a baby last year from Guatemala and had no problems with the process.  The year before we had tried to adopt from Russia and as the process went along, the price kept rising and then we were told that when we did go for the first visit, to plan on taking extra money for little bribes here and there.  We eventually got tired of the process of rising prices, etc. so we changed agencies and countries.  Why not do a report on all the countries with the corruptionand other issues that seem to all follow suit?  Guatemala isn't the only one.

I have an 11 year old daughter and an 8 year old boy both adopted from Guatemala.  The year we adopted our daughter, the U.S. issued 788 Orphan Visas from Guatemala.  I was admittedly naive and overly trusting the first time.  By sheer good luck, we brought home a beautiful 10 month old girl.  For our second adoption, we were more cautious and made "ethics" our first concern when scouting for an agency.  I can only hope now that our trust was well placed.  Over the years I have watched as the number of Guatemalan adoptions has grown into the thousands.  I am one parent who grew to believe that reform is necessary and probably long overdue.  As demand for infants grew, more unscrupulous players entered the system lured by a vulnerable clientele with big American dollars.  Then I heard tales about the jaladores and cash  payments to Guatemalan mothers.  Later I learned that high numbers of adoptions involved the siblings of previously adopted infants.  As an ordinary parent, I have no inside knowledge about the workings of Guatemalan adoptions, but surely it doesn't take an undercover investigation to know that "something is rotten in Denmark".  Or, Guatemala rather.  There have been a segment of parents who've read the signs as I have and they have been advocating for more transparent adoptions for years now on various online forums.  Inevitably, these voices have been shouted down by angry parents in denial of what has been occurring, or worse, by rationalizers willing to accept a measure of corruption for the sake of "the children".  I'm sick to think of what I'm going to see on Sunday, but sadly, I won't be surprised.  As sad as this story promises to be, sadder still is the fact that so much disparity of wealth exists between the U.S. and poor nations like Guatemala, that desperate women can be enticed by a few hundred dollars to relinquish their babies.  Shame on all of us for that.  I hope Dateline will one day realize that's the real story here.  As for me, I feel I owe this beautiful country and it's beautiful people a great debt.  I vow to give back to Guatemala at least as much money as I handed over to agencies, attorneys, travel agents and the U.S. Government.  Now that reforms are in place and adoption is no longer an "industry" in Guatemala, who will care about "the children" - those who are abandoned, abused, uneducated, undernourished?  Watch and weep as the U.S. government, the Guatemalan government, and UNICEF congratulate themselves for adoption reform even as they turn an indifferent eye to those sweet vulnerable children.  If anyone is feeling particularly self righteous about all this, I would urge them to put their money where their mouth is and sponsor one or more children though one of the various international or domestic sponsorship programs.  Share some of your good fortune with an impoverished child.  Work to eliminate dire poverty in our lifetimes.              

As an adoptive parent of a  Guatemalan child, I want the assurance that all children offered for adoption are done so willingly, legally and ethically.  Based on the senastional intro written above about Sunday's show, I hope I ma pleasantly surprised and the piece turns out to be fair and balanced.  I would like to point out my concenrs with Ms. Corederi's piece above.  Hopefully she'll read this.
* her statement should have read that there is a POSSBILITY for corruption - her statement leaves reader with the assumption that ALL cases experience "corruption, lies, forgery, kidnapping, broken hearts'
* the wait is months vs. years - not always true - the process from beginning to end when working with an agency more often than not crosses the 1 year mark and the PGN offers no gusrantee for the length of time it takes to approve the papaerwork
* she uses the term "market" and "demand" as if discussing real estate - very offensive when discussing adoption
* her into does not consider that many Americans may be choosing Guatemala for its close proximity to the U.S., ease of travel as well as that is a Spanish speaking country and Spanish is extremely prevalent in the U.S.
* meetings were set up with a contraversial facilitator - what aobut a facilitator that was not controversial - was that done?

My husband and I adopted a beautiful Guatemalan baby girl in 2002 at a time when one set of DNA tests was required.  There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe the love we feel for her.  Since the moment my daughter was placed in my arms, I have felt only love and admiration for her and her birth mother.  We pray for her every day and we look forward to meeting her.  We are saddened, horrified, and sickened by the tiny minority of Guatemalan adoption cases that involved fraud, corruption, and coercion. However, we know that our adoption was legal and that our child was not stolen.  We used a very reputable agency in which the agency director and program director are licensed social workers. We have photos of our child taken at birth and every month thereafter until she came home with us.  We also have a photo of our daughter being held by her birth mother at the US Embassy on the day of the DNA tests.  It is obvious to anyone who examines all of our pictures that the child who was presented at the embassy for DNA tests is the same child we brought home.  We have other photos of our daughter’s birth mother and the resemblance is unmistakable.  In addition, the embassy took fingerprints of our daughter and her birth mother.  We would urge all readers and viewers to read the post by Kevin Kreutner.  His post is listed in the section where people posted family photos.  Please take Kevin Kreutner’s comments to heart and do not assume that our families were formed through illegal, shameful, invalid, or unethical means.  The overwhelming majority of cases were legal and ethical.  We support changes in the system to protect all children.  A Richmond, Virginia social worker named Karen has posted comments suggesting that anyone who completed an adoption before two DNA tests were required may have ended up with a stolen child who was switched at the last minute.  The Richmond social worker further poses a question as to what “we” will tell the 25,000 Guatemalan born children who have been adopted by US parents.  With all due respect, no one (regardless of whether he or she is a social worker) has a right to approach someone else’s child and tell them that they may have been stolen or that their adoption might have been unethical or fraudulent.  Such comments can cause psychological trauma to the child and such comments are cruel and slanderous.  As adoptive parents, we will answer our children’s questions about the media allegations and we will do whatever we have to do to help them find the details about their adoption and their birth family. This is a private family matter and strangers and even acquaintances have no right to approach our children and make such accusations.  People who purport to care about children should not be posting exaggerated information or misinformation that purely serves to inflame the public’s opinion of our adoptive families.    We would also like to point out that we went through a rigorous, invasive home study process, state and federal criminal database clearances, child abuse clearances, etc. The home study process and background checks were just as rigorous as the ones required for people who go through for US domestic adoptions and other inter-country adoptions such as Chinese adoptions.   Also, I find it interesting that the media and child’s rights activists such as Karen complain about the adoption related fees surrounding Guatemalan adoptions, but they neglect to mention that the fees for Chinese adoptions are over $25,000 and the fees for Russian adoptions are over $30,000.  Why hasn’t anyone talked about the couples (not US citizens) residing in other countries who have adopted from Guatemala?  The other countries that have allowed their citizens to adopt from Guatemala have never required DNA testing and have always had less stringent embassy requirements compared to the US Embassy.  I realize that those couples represent only about 5 % of the parents who have adopted from Guatemala, but this is a valid question.  Also, we were hoping to read a comment by Elizabeth Corderi’s sister.  What does Elizabeth’s sister think about this Dateline story?  

I don't doubt that there is some unscrupulous and even criminal activity in some Guatemalan adoptions that needs to be rooted out, but the entire process should not be tainted by this small percentage.  After all, I'm sure there are corrupt adoption lawyers in this country as well, and the governments of both countries should make major efforts to bring these criminals to justice, not make adoptions so restrictive that no more children can be adopted.

I am also tired of Mayan birthmothers being portrayed as weak and malleable.  Being poor and illiterate doesn't make you stupid. My grandfather was a poor and functionally illiterate farmer, but he was one of the most intelligent people I have known.  

To assume that the Mayan women who decide to give up their children for adoption don't understand what they are doing because they have been duped or pressured by employees of adoption lawyers only serves to enforce the discrimination that places them at the lowest level of societal worth.  Guatemala is a heavily Catholic country with no birth control and no safe abortion.  The men and women are not celibate, so babies are born into situations that offer little hope for a healthy life.
These women know they are poor;  they know they can't afford to take care of their children; there is no government program to help them care for their children. They love their children and want them to have a chance at a better life than they have.  And so they choose the adoption process, which gives them FOUR opportunities to change their minds.

We tried domestic adoption first, but after two heartbreaking experiences switched to Guatemala, and we are adopting an older child.  I agree with Eleanor of Rhode Island.  American children are suffering needlessly by being returned over and over again to negligent and abusive parents when they could go to loving homes.  

Dear Ms. Corderi,
If the objective of your story is to expose unethical actors in the Guatemalan adoption system, then I applaud you.  However, if your story generalizes the few cases of corruption to all adoptions, as much of the press has recently done, then I’ll be very disappointed.  Yes, there are a small number of unscrupulous people who prey on adoptive families and birth mothers alike violating the laws of both the US and Guatemala.  You could do us all a great service by exposing these criminals for who they are.  But you could do an even greater service to your viewers by being balanced and accurate with your facts.  
As a parent of a child adopted from Guatemala, I have experienced first hand the cruelty of insensitive and slanderous remarks by both strangers and friends who have been terribly misinformed by sensational and inaccurate stories in the media.  Ms. Corderi, please be the breath of fresh air and use your program to educate and inform, not to give yet another green light to the anti-adoption bigots.

The first post, from Ellen in South Carolina, is well stated.  To trivialize a mother's decision to give up a child for adoption by assuming she is doing it for financial gain, reeks of condescension toward the usually poor and illiterate Mayan women.  What we found in Guatemala when we traveled there with our 3-year old son is a culture that reveres children with a joyful attention and respect that is sadly often lacking in the U.S.  Being with my young son in Guatemala was like traveling with a movie star--so many Guatemalans wanted to touch him, talk to him, make him smile, etc.  What a difference here, where we assume that a stranger who approaches our children like that must be a weirdo or worse...

Let's quit implying that many or most of the thousands of Guatemalan women giving up children for adoption each year are in it for the money or had their children stolen.  Instead, let's consider what will happen to:  1.  the American children who have been adopted from Guatemala when they here these kinds of sensationalized stories  2.  The children in Guatemala who have been "saved" by the new system which will probably eliminate most adoptions from there.  

We are the proud parents of an awesome 2 1/2 year old boy.  We are also are stuck in process with our second child(a beautiful healthy boy who is now 15 months old)  We been in process with him for over a year with several delays.  We still have a long ways to go before he comes home. It been a very long hard journery and still not over with.  I would like to ehco's "Ethical adoptive Mom" and "Randy Sword's " comments.  We as parents need to guide our children how handle comments such as the one from Karen the social worker just posted.  As my children get Older, i will tell them all the details of their adoption along with stories of their birthfamilies.   I want to prepare so when they deal with people like Karen the social worker, they can protect themselves ane be proud.

There is corruption everywhere, especially in our own government, but Dateline I guess, had to pick up on the latest "adoption trend" (blech) and exploit what would be a beautiful unification of families. Woo hoo for you Dateline, guess you couldn't find anymore sickos to put in your "To Catch A Predator" show. I hope you feel good about ruining something beautiful, which is international adoption.

Please don't let these children fall through the cracks as the pipeline cases in Romania did. We tried for almost four years to have our adoption completed from Romania. Our little boy is still in Romania and nobody helped us here in South Carloina. We called our governor begging for help. We called the Romanian Embassy and even went to the people that gives the adoption agnecy their license. we give the agency $25,000 but most of all we give that little boy our heart. I can't even tell you the pain we have suffered not knowing where is, if he has food or clothes. Please push to get your children home. I feel that Romania was give up on by everyone and there was definetly  need for futher investigation.    

I am the adoptive mother of a beautiful 3 year old boy from Guatemala. He is the light of my life.  I have made contact with his birth mother and her story is not one of rape, coercion, or baby stealing.  She is deaf and cannot speak.  She earns $80 a month as a maid and simply had no way to care for my son. Her family is very loving and close, but they too said they simply could not provide for another mouth to feed and wanted my son to have a life that they could only imagine.  

Ms. Corderi, you speak of your nephew and of your sister's joy at being his mother.  I only hope that you have thought of your nephew and of your sister when reporting this story.  I hope that you have had the foresight to see that painting an unbalanced picture of Guatemalan adoptions may destroy your nephew's sense of peace regarding his place in his family.

We have adopted 2 children, one from the US and one from Guatemala. Both times we were subject to a lot of scrutiny and endured a lot of difficulty, though neither were "trouble adoptions". There are a lot of government checkpoints in place in both the US and Guatemala systems, even prior to recent reforms in Guatemala.

Yes, there is and was corruption in the Guatemalan system, but I believe that occurred (does occur) with both the adoption facilitators and Guatemalan officials, who I believe wanted bribes while publicly criticizing their "private" system as corrupt. Our son's file sat on a desk at the Guatemalan Attorney General's office two months after he signed it. I heard a rumor that he wouldn't release files until May because he wanted an incentive, but was skeptical it until our file came out with a huge group of others in May.

To Kevin, there are advantages and disadvantages to domestic and international adoptions. But know this: the system in the United States is set up to place children with adoptive parents as an absolute last resort, no matter how fit the biological parents are ready to parent either due to economic conditions, maturity, or psychological issues. In some states, like Florida, it is difficult to finalize an adoption because the state wants to give the biological parents every opportunity to bow out. To adopt in America, you have to either navigate a difficult and heartbreaking public adoption system or go through a risky private adoption system where you have to "sell" yourself to a birthmother based on your lifestyle and looks. Adoptive parents could lose thousands of dollars if the birthparent(s) change his/her mind.

I do hope the media will provide coverage if all of the children who end up dead or on the street as a result of Guatemala not being able to support its orphans through the new system in a few years.

I really feel for those poor kids but what happened to all the kids in the USA that need homes and won't get them because we as Americans now even outsource on adoptions. Like I said I really feel for these kids but if there kidnapping them because of a high demand maybe parents should turn around and adopt a child from their country of origin. We can't solve the worlds problems we need to look inward and help the children in this country before looking to go else where.

I am completely and totally for any advancement in the fight to end corruption in the Guatemalan adoption process.  For we "lost" our daughter because of unethical practices on behalf of our adoption team.  Please find a way to stop the corruption and fraud!   We must seek to protect the children and the potential adoptive families.

My son is legally blind.  His life in Guatemala would have been one on the streets or in the fields.  No one would have known how brilliant he is.  My daughter would have died of pneumonia from sleeping on a cold, wet, dirt floor.  The birthmothers of these beautiful children made a courageous move.  They chose life.  They chose for these children to live a life without hunger, cold, fear and with the prospect of an education. These women are the heroes in this scenario.  I believe in our attorney and agency.  Every step was painstaking in detail. These details are in place to protect ALL families in the adoption process.  There are days that I feel guilty for being able to watch these children learn and play and love and laugh.  The only reason I can experience this and their birthfamilies can't is economics and geography.  I live in the richest country in the world.  They do not.  I live in a free democracy without fear.  They do not.  I understand that ONE CHILD taken from their family is wrong.  ONE CHILD is too many.  Instead of concentrating on the few who look to profit in Guatemala, why not look at the circumstances that have caused these families to choose? Hunger. Lack of education.  Ethnic prejudice between the rich and the working class.  These women and children live in homes that we won't put our lawnmowers in.  Where is our outcry?  The money, time and effort you have spent finding this one person who is bad, could have been used for the betterment of the DAILY LIVES of the people in this country -- inparticularly the women of this country. Adoption is a bandaid that tries to soothe a symptom instead of solving the problem.  Your representation of this process has not helped these people, but worked towards taking away their choices.

I love my children.  I love and respect their birthmothers for their courage.  I can't wait to meet them one day.  I only hope that I will have lived up to the standard and expectation that they have of me.

To the people who post "why are they adopting from other countries anyway", a child is a child is a child. Just because these babies were not born in the U.S. doesn't mean that they don't hurt, cry or bleed like U.S. babies!! So, don't push them aside. I have my own PERSONAL reasons why I chose not to adopt from the U.S.  

I visit a Guatemalan orphanage daily where there are over 50 kids. One is 8 years old. Her mother died and her extended family did not want to care for her, so they sent her to the orphanage. Domestic adoption is not very popular in Guatemala, especially of an older child. What will happen to this girl? Will she be raised in an institution? She is a reason international adoption is a good thing. Dateline has a responsibility to cover the full picture. Yes, there needs to be reform, but there also has to be a way to  continue international adoption so that the kids that deserve homes and families can find them.

As long as there is one parent whose adoption was either illegal or riddled with irregularities, then there is a need for reform and change.  We should not shy away from those who try to expose these human atrocities, but rather applaud their efforts for change.  

Our daughter's adoption story has been publicized, like so many others.  There is no doubt that there is corruption within Guatemala.  But that is not to say that the problem lies only in Guatemala.  Our problems were clearly with the U.S. adoption agency.  This agency has not only damaged our family but the families of approximately 40 others as they continue to wait and wait, not knowing when or if their adoptions will ever be completed.

While the journalists expose the corruption, the state officials sit on their hands and do nothing.  Maybe this is why the corruption continues.  Maybe this is why the reality of the situation appears to be non-supported by those who can and should be in a position of authority to produce change.

For those whose adoptions were or are without problems, please do not critize or doubt those of us who speak out and tell our stories.  Do not doubt that our adoptions were a horror, or the DNA was switched, or the child was sold prior to the adoption, or the paperwork was forged, or the foster mom abused the child, or...  We do not denegrade your adoption because it was successful and without the pain that we have had.  We did not enter into the agreement to suffer but to bring home a baby or a child and many of us have yet to do so.  My family will continue to live with the lies and misrepresentations told to us by the adoption agency -and our lives will never be the same.
 

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