some people have not read the other messages-we are 45 years old and cannot adopt an american infant.
Do people like "Kevin" understand?

Thank you Dateline for once again showing American the corruption that happens in adoption!
It is a HUGE money making business for alot of people, not all, but for alot more then it should be.
I look forward to watching your program tonight!

I have to agree with Elanore from Rhode Island. I attempted to adopt 3 years ago a 13 year old girl who was one of 126,000 children in foster care in the US. If was a nightmare and the child was adopted by someone else before I got half way thru the process. I learned the hard way how complex adopting a child in the US can really be.

I too adopted a child from Guatemala in 2005.  Although, not an easy process, I got through it very successfully and brought my daughter home at 5 months old.  I have little to no reason to believe my agency did anything illegal, but at times, I wrestle and worry if my daughter's circumstances were a result of inappropriate actions.  I truly am happy to have my daughter...she is a joy.  But I am saddened by the loss her mother must feel on a daily basis, given away legally or taken away illegally.

Even though is true that sometimes the media tends to overdue its coverage on a particular topic and/or case, I don't believe this would be the case with the segment to be aired by Dateline tonight.  I believe they went after some facts to try to bring to the public's attention what sometimes goes on in Guatemala and its adoptions.  Facts are facts, and there is no way to go around them, whether some adoptive parents like it or not.

Adoptions in Guatemala have, unfortunately, become a gold mine for many people, including birthmothers.  Yes, they do receive money...between Q30,000.00 and Q45,000.00, which is the currency of the country.  Attorneys and facilitators charge an outrageous amount of money, of which, perhaps 3/4 goes into their pockets.  This lucrative business has to stop.
I was shocked to hear this story from a lawyer's own mouth on one of my trips to Guatemala;  He said: a woman came into my office to talk about adoptions and procedeed to tell me that she had 9 women who were pregnant and gave me the due dates and stated they all were going to give the baby up for adoption.  I (lawyer) asked her, how can you have so many pregnant women lined up, she then called a young man in and intruduced him as her son, the "sperm donor,"  In other words, this woman was practically trying to sell her own grandchildren.  Nothing more sickening than this.

There have been many stories about documents being forged and I was skeptical, until I talked to a facilitator, who faxed me copies of the documents she had for a baby girl that was available.  I proceeded to examine the documents very carefully, and found that the b-mother's birth certificate indicated her marital status as married.  Concerned, I called the facilitator since I knew no married woman can give a chil up for adoption.  She indicated that that was no problem, that b-mother was from a very small town, and that things could get fixed in small towns, besides, she said, they attorney that did all the legal paperwork recruited the women from that town where he was originally from.  No, I did not adopt that little girl.

Social workers in family court also receive brives from attorneys/facilitators.  

PGN has been attacked many times for not releasing files, but if people only knew and/or understood that they have a big responsibility of making sure that the adoption is completely ethical.  When a file has many red flags, it is their duty to ensure everything is examined accordingly.  Imagine, if they were to release/approve files with corrupt information and signed by the director, and some time later the b-mother, b-father, or some relative were to try to reclaim the child whose adoption was illegal and approve by PGN, who do think would be a major trouble, PGN and its people.

Lets not blame PGN for the delay in the process, look at the fact that sometimes b-mother demand more money in order to cooperate w/the adoption.



 

My name is Angelique and im 16 years olds. I was adopted from Chile at the age of 6 months old and am blessed with my forever family. I have always been interested in adoption but up until this date I have seen very few stories that portray the positive side of adoption. I understand that "horror stories" get viewers and yes it happens, but what about the good stories. The children who come home, grow up happy, and make somthing of themselves? It seems that our stories are thrown to the wayside.

With all negative press adoptions are faceing a downfall. You are pushing away prospective parentsand in the end the ones who are being punished are the children. Im sorry to say that im highly disapointed in Dateline and in anyone who is bluntly ignoreing the positive aspects of adoptions.

Maybe on day I will be able to stand proud and say "Yes, im adopted" and know that the reaction of people will be positive. But for now I will be wondering what people will think of me.

On foreign adoption: What do these people think?  They create a demand and others seek to profit by it. Don't these Americans see that they are part of the problem? Are they naive or just so needy that they choose to believe that everyone everywhere shares their respect for the human person? They forget that they are dealing with foreign countries and there they are not privileged.

As I watch the segment on tv and read the blogs, it always concerns me that with so many children in the U.S. needing a loving home, people still continue to go outside the U.S. where the laws are so different.  I understand no adpotion process is easy or flawless, but there are numerous childern in the U.S. needing those same parents who choose international adoption

I am watching the baby broker piece on Guatemala children and I AM SICK TO MY STOMACH.  We have plenty of children in the United States that need good homes.  What is wrong with the people that are trying to BUY CHILDREN from a foreign country.  How disgusting.  That is how we have all of the diseases that we currently have.  These people are no better than the person selling the babies.  If they want a child from that country them pack your bags and get the heck out of the U.S. and go to where they are.  Babies are not chattel they are precious beings.  There should be a law to block, cease and outlaw any and all adoptions from other countries.  It is up to their countries government to handle their own populations problems.  The more I think about it the sicker I get I am never going to watch Dateline again these stories are just a way to make the baby brokers more money.  Money talks and _______ walks so now you have opened the flood gates so people now know they will have to pay the various people off and alter their so called paperwork to get these foreigners into our country.  

Prospective American adopters need to realize that if their adoption process seems too easy or takes a very short time, then it is most likely that the process is illegal and corrupt. These shady adoption stories would not be so prevalent if people were less gullible or less desperate. The old adage applies: if is it too good to be true it probably is.

I am from a poor country and adoption agencies are a growing business due to the high volume of  Westerners looking to adopt and not caring to ask the tough questions or do thorough background checks on these agencies.  

My well-off parents who are residents of my country adopted a child locally and it took them more than 2 years, numerous court hearings and thorough background checks before my brother's adoption was completed.  It takes a foreigner a much shorter time and less process to complete an adoption in my country.  Why should it take a foreigner a much shorter time? Because of illegal and harmful processes that are part of most of the foreign adoptions in my country.  Prospective parents need to accept this reality and find ways to help these poor countries by demanding excellent adoption services.

I was unaware of the adoption issues of Guatemala and watched this story and found it very interesting. What I found interesting is the money spent trying to adopt one child overseas could have adopted two children here in the US. Oh wait, I have read there is a shortage of White infants in the US. That means there must be a lot of Black children that are available for adoption. Gee,I wonder why these people are taking such risk overseas when we have perfectly adoptable children here in America?

My husband and I have (2) children both adopted. Nikolay was adopted from Ukraine at 16 months old  in 2003. He is now a rowdy 6 yr. old. Isabel is from Guatemala and she was adopted in 2007 when she was 5 months old. Our agency have excellent attorneys that work with the birth mothers in Guatemala and like one of the former writers wrote, the birth mother had plenty of oppoortunity to keep Isabel and she chose not to do this.
I only saw a small portion of the segment but let me tell you what we saw when we were in Guatemala. I saw poverty that is not seen in America and the mothers can not afford to keep their children so they give them up to attorneys or orphanages to place for adoption. Since Guatemala has no welfare system, her mother only made roughly around $40.00. I doubt that many mothers could raise a child on that and so she gave  her up and for that we are grateful. She is a gift to us. I can assure everyone that is reading this that my husband and I tried to adopt from the United States and the cost was a lot more than what we paid.
Let me finish, by saying that a lot of countries have adoption problems but that does not mean that there is corruption going on. Russia has had there share, China has and even Ukraine but that should not stop someone from adopting internationally. If someone is interested in adopting internationally, then they should check there agency out and see how many children the agency has placed in adoptive homes but understand all countries do have periods of going through problems within there own government and it is not the US' fault on that.

I am sorry that these propsective adoptive parents were victims of deceit, however, it is also unfortunate that they became so attached to children that were not theirs.  My husband and I were matched with an infant in Feb 2006, and we are in our 2nd round with PGN.  We have never once assumed that this baby girl would be ours.  Anything can go wrong, and I believe people can't get so emotionally attached. People need to think "stewardship" not "ownership" with regards to adopting children.  Save the emotional attachment for when the child arrives here in the U.S.

I have just viewed the Dateline segment on Guatemalan adoptions... Wow... my phone rang 5 times within the hour to ask:
"Are you watching?"
"What do you think?"
"Are you worried about Luis Pedro having been  
 kidnapped?"
"What are you going to do?"  

The questions I was asked gave me the answer of how Dateline portrayed Guatemalan adoptions...

I am disappointed.  It is not only disrespectful to the many, many children living in the US having been adopted from Guatemala but to the honest, hardworking, intelligent birth moms who were not coerced or paid to make an adoption plan for their child.  

My truest sorrows go out to the families who had negative experiences with their adoption process.  I fully understand the process, I fully understand the love of a child and I fully understand not being able to have a child home.  Sincerely, my deepest regrets are with those who dealt with the corruption and in the corruption.  

I am thankful for the Webbs willingness to be aired and their open-mind about the process with the knowledge that corruption exists yet the majority of adoption cases are handled with the most ethical care for all involved.  I am thankful those three beautiful girls are in their lives and hearts.  

I am hopeful that the people of Guatemala will be able to create a social welfare system with the needs of the children and birth moms at the forefront of their mission to provide the best possible lives for birth moms, children and adoptive families.  

I am hopeful that Guatemala and the United States will someday, once again, create a parallel relationship with the creation of an ethic of care that encompasses each and every child unable to be cared for by his/her own family.  

It was well known for many years that this situation was going on in Guatemala. And also babies are stolen in Mexico to be adopted here as Guatemalans. Also in Peru it has happened for many years. Imagine the suffering of those parents that have been victims of these countries adoptions schemes

The lesson here is  to do your research when choosing your agency and talk to people who have used your agency before signing with them.  It is horrible what happened in Guatemala, but don't forget that there are more legal adoptions then there are corrupt ones. We were blessed with a very reputable agency and our little angel who lights up our life each and everyday.  I wish the piece that aired tonight just spent two more minutes showing some of the good stuff, so everyone who sees  my son does not think he was stolen from his birth parent. His birth mother truly loved him and wanted him to have a better life then  she could have given him.  She loved him enough to let him go.

We adopted our daughter (now 20 mos) from Guatemala and are currently in the process of adopting a son. While I agree that there are corrupt people in adoptions, I feel that this story forgot to show the many families who used upright agencies, with facilitators of integrity, and completed legal and ethical adoptions. This story could not have come at a worse time. As the Guatemalan and US Governements are currently working to eliminate this type of illegal activity, I fear that the negative publicity will negatively impact those of us in process with legal and ethical adoptions. I also feel as though our family and thousands of others will be subjected to looks, stares, and rumors of whether or not our adoptions were legal and ethical. This is not fair to our children or our family. The 3-4 minutes spent with Guatadopts' Kevin was not near enough compared to the over 45 minutes spent on the one man conducting illegal adoptions. While my heart does have sympathy for those affected by his actions I am also reminded of how important a responsibility we as adoptive parents have to really check the validity of the adoption agency we use. I am hopeful that Dateline will receive a number of responses from families who have completed legal and ethical adoption. I also hope that Dateline will follow up on this story to give us and other families the opportunity to show the VERY positive side of Guatemalan adoptions.

I wanted to comment on Teo, the facilitator your show focused on.  We adopted 2 children through an agency that used Teo.  Our children were in wonderful foster homes and received excellent medical care.  He took us to see the Dr. on at least 2 of our visit trips.  Our case was a little different. Our son became a special needs case after we received his referral.  Teo cut his fees in half and he was still responsible for all the medical care as well as the usual expenses such as foster care.  Our son was in the private hospital for 4 weeks.  2 weeks in ICU.  He had surgery.  All of this Teo paid for without ever asking us for more money.  He also facilitated the adoption of our daughter for half of his fees.  The Dr. Teo used was  wonderful.  He helped us get our son into Shriners' Hospital for future care once he was home.  Teo told me the same story that he told you about being banned  from the Embassy, only he offered the information to me long before I knew anything about him being banned.  He also went into more detail about the argument he had with the Embassy employee.        

My husband and I brought home our daughter in March 2006 when she was nine months old. While the process did not go as smoothly as our agency led us to believe, we have our daughter, and our family is complete because of international adoption. Once we paid our agency I don't know what was really done with the money, and, frankly, I don't want to know. I worry that shady dealings may cloud our adoption since we were fed numerous fabrications and timelines that didn't add up. However, she's home with us now! I could spend my days worrying about our adoption but what would that do? It would just take away from the special times I spend with my daughter each day.

With the thousands of children in the US that needs to be adopted, why do people still adopt from other countries? Someone please explain this to me.

If there are over 30,000 kids in Guatemala ready for adoption, and it's legal to pay "mothers" for their children, and "mothers" giving up 4 or 5 of their children for adoption because they cannot afford to feed them, and they wait in line to sell their babies, there is something seriously wrong over there.  Kind hearted Americans may think spending thousands of dollars adopting these babies solves the problem, but it's not only not helping, it's making the problem worse.  It encourages the baby factory.  
Guatemalans need to pull out the weeds by the roots.  How about making paying the women illegal and enforce birth control?  Americans need to stop the buying.  Without the buyer, the selling and growing will stop.  Love with your heart is all well and good.  But do think with your head.  

I watched the show tonight and I have to say I wish the story was on the more postive side of Guatemala adoptions. There are some very good US adoption agencies that are doing the right thing for these children and familes. I would hope to see a show with familes and the agencies they worked with to tell the good things about adoption from Guatemala. I am glad you found Thanasssis and did a story about him. I read a Guatemala board tonight and he is still in business with agencies here in the US and some familes have him involved with there adoptions which is just sickening to think about it. Hopefully this show will get him out of the adoption business and brought to justice.

There is no good way of knowing which adoption
agencies are ethical.  I signed up with Homecoming Adoptions, Orlando, Florida. Although I have a wonderful little girl from Guatelmala, it was not an easy thing to navigate with the particular adoption agency (which is now only a law firm and not licensed as an agency). I chalked the delays and incompetence up to employee turnover with this agency. (I had three different caseworkers over the 17 months it took me to adopt.)  I was dumbfounded when I saw "Teo" on Dateline tonight.  He was the contact for this adoption agency.  They referred to him as "the lawyer" and had no scruples about using someone who had been banned by  the US Embassy. I blame them for using such sources.  I am just grateful to have my little girl with me, safe and sound.

Dear Ms. Corderi and Ms. Noel, Thank you for exposing the horrible criminals who prayed on those families (birth families and adoptive families).  As an adoptive parent of a wonderful Guatemalan child, I was worried that your story would be like so many others (from other networks or newspapers) in the last year.  I was worried that your story would suggest that all Guatemalan adoptions are tainted.  Thank you for pointing out that the majority of adoptions from Guatemala were legitimate and legal.  I cried for the families you showed and I pray for them and others who were also hurt by that rogue facilitator.  I especially pray that Enma Galicia is found to be unharmed and returned to her wonderful family in Jalepa.  Even though my adoption experience was wonderful, I feel horrible for those families whose adoption dreams were destroyed by a few rogue facilitators.  The corrupt facilitators need to be jailed for life.  Thank you!
 

I adopted my son from Guatemala about three years ago. The agency that I was with was with me 100% of the way, myself and my biological daughters even lived there in Antigua Guatemala for 3 months "fostering" our son. Our adoption went very smoothly and was complete in about 4 months. We met the foster family that first had him. they shared a part of our life and they loved him and cared for him like he was their own. AFTER THE ADOPTION WAS FINAL (two years after) I then went on to meet the birthmother, the biological brothers and sister and grndmother. And everything in our entire adoption was a blesssing from God. She made a very difficult decision becuse of povery and now is assured that her son is loved and cared for and that he will have a good life and education. I hate for outcomes like this to not happen, bacuse everyone involved benefited from this adoption and all was legal and  legitimate. I would hate for this to slow down or stop the legal adoption process in Guatemala. I will pray for Guatemala that improvements are made to benigit all, becuse I want this to be a miricle for others like it was for all of us involved...including the biological mother in our case.

The key is having an ethical agency. We brought our son home from Guatemala at 4 months old last January. He was very healthy and had been in a good foster home. Everyone we dealt with here or in Guatemala was very professional and cared very much about the children.

Corruption is everywhere, not just Guatemala. Please don't make the rest of America think that all Guatemalan adoptions were the result of unethical dealings. It's not fair to our children.

Corruption in international adoption is a reality, however, not just in Guatemalan adoption and I resent the fact that my daughter, who is adopted from Guatemala, may have to bear the burden of these types of stories. Obviously nobody wants to find out that their adoption was illegal or unsavory in any way, however, if you work with a reputable agency and follow all of the rules, why would anyone think otherwise? Unfortunately, with the negative publicity that Guatemalan adoption is receiving, it's hard not to notice the looks that people give me when I take my daughter out in public. Our daughter was given up for adoption because her birth mother had one other biological child and worked as a maid, making the equivalent of $150 a month. She could not read or write. How would anyone be expected to raise a family on that? Knowing that story is reassuring to us to support the legitimacy of the adoption. But others don't know that and the thought that my beautiful daughter may someday feel that her parents did something illegal or unsavory to adopt her enrages me, as does the ignorance of people who look at adoption as just a money making business. Without adoption my husband and I would not have the joy of raising a child who would have otherwise probably starved to death at the very worst and at the very best, never learned to read or write.

I watched the Dateline interview and it made my stomach turn.  I was directly involved with family who adopted a beautiful baby boy from Guatemala and their contact was TEO (the person featured in the episode).  It did not take long to discover that there was something not right with this man but when you have so much money invested and the desire to have a child, you are at their mercy.  I believe that this definitely shows people thinking about adoption what to be cautious with who they are involved with, but I truely believe that Dateline should be focusing on the American adoption agencies that are dealing with these people.  Dateline needs to do a story on American agencies to stay away from and the reputable ones.  It is such a shame that this process is all about the money and neglects the poor, destitute children shown in these stories.  Let's point the fingers at the people in the America adoption agencies who continue to associate themselves with the likes of TEO.

I adopted my beautiful son from Guatemala in 2002. I also worked with Thannasis and found him to be charming and helpful. I was absolutely shocked when I heard he had been banned from the Embassy. Nevertheless, it appears that his kindness has been replaced by greed and fraud. My son was a gift from God. Two days after the final paperwork was signed, I underwent an emergency hysterectomy at age 36. Knowing that my darling little boy was officially mine meant everything to me. God bless all the little children who will now be severely affected by all this corruption.

Unfortunatly the only people reading these comments are most likely already adoptive parents or at least hope to be soon. Most other people will have watched the documentary last night and stored that information in their head, not needing to come and take a look at the positive stories listed here.  They will fail to remember that this story was basically about one, dishonest and corrupt lawyer, who actually lived in LA until 8 years ago when he moved to Guatemala to process adoptions. They will remember that people "pay" their agency in America upwards of $20,000 (which of course we don't) and then they will also remember the babies paraded for the camera's in the hotel.  Thank you DATELINE & Victoria. So Victoria to you: I hope your sister is proud of your story, I hope her son, your nephew, doesn't encounter people on the streets, and at school who question his Mother's motivations and ethical options, thank you for presenting a sensational, negative adoption story. Thank you for probably making at least one person change their mind about adoption, making them think that its not an option for them anymore, about how risky it is.

At least Guatadopt got a chance, however small, to maintain that the main goal is to have 100% ethical adoptions.

And who invited UNICEF into this debate without mentioning their donation to stop intercountry adoption and without mentioning their negative influence in Guatemalan adoptions.

I think its also interesting to note, that of the 4 families featured, none completed their adoptions with this attorney, the corruption was discovered by both Guatemalan officials and US officials. Isn't this re-inforcing the fact that there are checks and balances in place to keep the adoptions ethical. Please, please, please remember, that as parents of international adopted children we can and are making a difference in our kids lives and in our lives.

Basically if Dateline wants to present a story on adoption, do a story on how hard it is to pass all the paperwork in America to be allowed to adopt, then list and show American's how intense the paperwork and process is once you are Ok'd by the US Embassy.

There is no walk in and hand over a cheque for a baby, the process is so, so, so much more than that.
 
In peace.

I find this whole international baby adoption business
to be repulsive. The scene on the Dateline show where
the parents are gushing over the adopted daughter and
saying they can't wait to adopt another, while their
biological son looks on was disgusting. Stop supporting this unholy enterprise.

Just curious, as "TEO" says he sent 167 children home to new families last year, did Dateline attempt to contact any "happy customers" and were there any?

The Dateline story deeply touched our family. Our daughter and her husband decided to adopt from Guatemala and used Adoption Blessings Worldwide of Macon, GA.  This is the same agency used by Jason and Jenell who were featured in the Dateline story.  Prospective adoptive families need to do a tremendous amount of research on their agengies as I am sure there are many reputable ones available that have the geniune interest of these children at heart.  With additional research, we found out that Adoption Blessings Worldwide had been shut down in Florida for a sundry of violations.  After months and months,  our daughter and her husband became suspicious and distrustful of this agency and decided to end the adoption process.  The emotional and financial tolls were staggering.

There are so many parallels between Jannell and Jason’s case and ours.  It may be closer related than I am even aware.  We too live in New York and are on our second referral after the first referral went bad.  We too had to stick with our agency as they hold all the cards.  I feel Jennell’s anguise in watching the Galicia family, I am saddened and sickened for us all.  I commend Jannell and Jason on their courage to come forward and tell their story while still in the adoption process and they have inspired me to push forward in my demand for answers with respect to our first referral.  The last thing that any of us want is to bring home a stolen child.  Thank you Jannell and Jason as well as all others involved with this story.  Perhaps we will cross paths in Guatemala one day with our newly adopted children.

Dear Ms. Corderi,

Your program did an excellent job of an example of the corruption in the adoption world of Guatemala. I firmly believe there is much corruption there; unfortunately you didn't discuss the governmental corruption. It is widely known in Guatemala that the PGN has long been pushing through those cases whose attorneys will pay bribes to the PGN workers.

My first visit to Guatemala was in February of 2005 to work as a missionary for a week at an Hogar run by Orthodox Christian nuns. This orphanage, in Zone 1, is an oasis amidst the noise, pollution, prostitution, poverty and occasional gunshots that surrounds it's one square city block walled compound.
It is not nearly as fancy as the Hogar you showed. Nor is that the only difference. At Hogar Rafael Ayau, there are about 95 children through age 15 there, and they have three or four high school boys who, they have sent to Ak'Tenamit, a non profit organization to educate the Mayans, teach the Mayans fair trade and reuse of waste products such as banana leaves and cornstalks and sustainable farming. They do this without any governmental support.

Interestingly their support comes from local individuals in Guatemala, educated staff from a local University, and largely donations of money and service from Orthodox Christians from around the world, mostly from the United States. I have since returned four times and traveled outside of Guatemala City as well. I've been stopped by police officers looking for bribes. Thankfully the Abbess at Hogar Rafael Ayau warned me many times against paying bribes. I am guessing the differences between the Hogar you showed and Rafael Ayau, a monastic orphange, is a huge difference in ethics. The nuns will not allow their attorneys to pay bribes to the PGN or anyone else. They will not allow their adoptive families to meet with anyone so that they could do so. I am guessing that is because a number of years ago an adoptive mother went to the PGN to ask about delays in their adoption. She was directly asked for a bribe and when she refused, her adoption process was cancelled. Also the orphanage Rafael Ayau takes childrens with club feet, encephelitis, cleft palate, children who were removed from the home by the PGN because of abuse and neglect. They also care for children whose mothers brought them so they wouldn't starve. Some of those mothers come back for their children and go home with them. Many do not. Those children are considered unadoptable by the nuns and they will let any potential adoptive family entertain the notion of adopting them, not wishing to give either the child or the adoptive parents false hope.

Your footage of the orphanage where you went included no children who looked to be older than age five. I'd like to know, did you not use footage of older children, or were there none there?

I am interested in that because it goes toward formulating a conclusion to my experiences and to your investigation. As a result of my family's involvement as missionaries and donors to Hogar Rafael Ayau, which continues today, we adopted  and brought home a 9-year-ten-month old daughter, who was legally free and clear for adoption, since she was brought by her mother, who was dying of AIDS when she was six. We did not work through an agency, just a private attorney who worked directly with the Hogar Rafael Ayau and their attorney. We never paid a fee  that was not set forth in our original adoption agreement, our donations to the orphanage were limited to items needed by the orphange for the children, their school or the office.

We were told that by the Abbess, based on her experience, the process would take a minimum of one-and-a-half-years and likely more than that. During our process, the wait time for adoptions from Hogar Rafael Ayau increased. Typically their adoptions take 2-3 years. Ours took 2 years-and-four months, and had one less step than most.

Because the Hogar already had legal custody from her mother (her father having abandoned the family years earlier) and the PGN and that stated she was legally free and clear for adoption, we did not have to go through the DNA step.

Every time we went to Guatemala to visit and stayed in one of three hotels, I saw many U.S. families visiting babies. The only older children (older than toddlers) I ever saw in hotels were being adopted from Hogar Rafael Ayau. When our daughter and I went to the U.S. Embassy with her "pink slip" and the next day for final approval, the waiting area was filled with over twenty babies and parents waiting to be adopted. Not one baby was over a year-and-a-half. We examined a line of families before us and another after us and the age ranges and numbers of babies were the same.

What conclusions have I drawn from that? As of May 2007, at least, the PGN was regularly accepting bribes from many attorneys and agencies. Did the adoptive families know? I asked a number and only one said she did. I believe that is possible, given that it would be easy to build in bribes to the agency fees or attorney's fees. My conclusion is the corruption in Guatamlan adoptions is widespread from kidnappers to agencies to Hogars to the government, especially for babies and toddlers, as so few older children are being adopted.

I would love a response to my questions about how many children older than five did you see for adoption, other than the story you did a few years ago on the kidnapped children , if you are willing.

I am very concerned about the ethics of adoption. We have photos and family information about both of our daughters adopted from Central America. That was in part luck and mostly effort on our part. Children and adults want to know their origins and birth cultures.

A last ironic note: I am even more concerned about the ethics of infertility clinics and invitro fertilization than I am about adoption. I have done adoption and IVF three times. The Infertility money-making machines have taken no lessons from the painful lessons learned by the adoption community trying to get family medical records or disclosures on donated cryo-embryos. My husband and I have three out there somewhere after the well-respected clinic closed, not-donated by us because they refused to pass medical information onto to potential recipients of the embryos. We sometimes wonder if there is a child walking around out there who is biologically ours. It doesn't hurt, because we have two thoughtful, loving daughters, but it is wrong. Please do a story on the ethics of infertility industry sometime soon. Feel free to contact me, as the one issue I brought up is not the only ethical issue I had with the process, and I believe it should be legally monitored.

Thank you for reading this very thoughtful response to your investigation.

I have to say that I'm truly disgusted at all the distastful journalism out there on Guatemala adoptions.  Has no one thought of reporting on the truly wonderful non corrupt adoptions taking place from Guatemala.  Reporting on only the corrupt cases is making it look as though all adoptions are corrupt b/c that's all people hear when their watching.  You know not everyone is blessed with the opportunity of giving birth to there own children many of us have to grow our children in our hearts.  

My husband and I adopted our little one over 2yrs ago from Guatemala and find it extremely hard to believe that so may of the adoptions out of Guatemala are as corrupt as are being told.  As one the the parents above has already stated there are 2 DNA testings and at least 4 different birth mother sign offs for the adoption process is even to be finalized.

Isn't it about time for the news to report on the positive of Guatemalan adoption and what a benefit it is for both family and child when done right.  I'm truly tired of hearing that Guatemalan adoptions are corrupt over any other adoptions being preformed out there b/c I'm sure no matter where you adopt from internationally or domestically you'll find someone trying to take advantage of the situation.  I think it's about time we start looking at the positive side of adoptions instead of always looking at the negative.

My husband and I adopted our son from Guatemala 8 years ago and are in the process of adopting a little girl from Guatemala. Hopefully we are near the end.
I am very sorry I missed the show.
I am very angry that there is such a focus on Guatemalan adoptions. With having to have 2 DNA tests(which we have to pay for) done how can they keep up that the children are being stolen. I can't say that it can never happen, but if you are using a reputable agency and lawyer I don't see how it could happen. If you are not using an agency and going directly to the lawyers, well then maybe.

With all we go through trying to get through the process, emotionally and financially, we really do not need all this extra worry. I have done my homework on my agency and trust them.

These children are taken care of by foster parents. Why not start looking into countries that have their children in orphanages with no stimulation what so ever.

Please let our children come home.

My husband and I adopted from Guatemala in 2005. We had a long process like everyone else. My daughter had been abused and has had to have several surgeries which wouldn't have been possible if we didn't get her. We are blessed to have her in our family. I am glad you did this story so everyone can hopefully adopt without problems.    

I agree with so many other comments that Guatemalan adoption can be a successful and positive experience.  With the new Hague convention guidelines it will become far more difficult for facilitators to continue working.  The concern that most adoption agencies in the United States have is that turning the adoption process over to the Guatemalan government may be a very slow and tedious process and the ones truly hurt by the change will be the children hoping for a family.  
For families looking for a reputable adoption agency, never hesitate to check out the reputation of the agency with the better business bureau and the state licensing division.  Beyond that, remember you are paying for a service and it is your right to check out the connections that an agency has with international sources.  Our agency encourages our clients to just that because we are aware of the immense trust you are placing with us to help you create your family.   I hope that Dateline continues to look at adoption process and revisits the Guatemalan process as the country begins working to create a new system for placing children for adoption!

I am grateful to learn that there are so many people eager to adopt ANY child despite the cost and the long process, but there are folks who bring on some of their own heartache.  When an adoptor "falls in love" with a child they only know from a photograph, and then claim that child as their son or daughter, they are set up to break their own hearts.  It's just a picture, folks, not your child. The child you know only from that photograph is no more your child than the cute guy whose photo I saw on match.com is my husband.  

Dear Ms. Corderi,
Thank you for exposing the corruption that exists in some adoption cases involving Guatemalan children, & for focusing on the role of an unethical "facilitator" banned by the United States in 2005.  As one of the individuals interviewed at the end of your feature story stated, it is important to note that not all adoptions in Guatemala are unethical. This is something worth repeating time and again especially to U.S. Department of State, Guatemalan, & UNICEF officials who have had a role in the recent Guatemalan adoption law reform. In trying to understand their position, it is not entirely clear what guides the formulation of public policy regarding international adoptions. If there are healthy prospective adoptive parents around the globe willing and able to adopt children in need of a loving family, why is the process filled with impediments?  Moreover, what is the rationale for delaying international adoption processes when the scientific literature amply documents the importance of attachment early on for infants?
The key to improving Guatemala’s adoption system may depend, in part, in the vision of the country’s leaders to capitalize on parts of the private system that has worked for those adopted to date, while eliminating ALL existing illegal, unethical and arbitrary practices.  One cannot throw the baby with the bath water.  Unfortunately, as currently enacted, the new Guatemalan legislation will likely make adoption more difficult in that the adoptive child’s extended family and other Guatemalan nationals will have priority over prospective international adoptive families. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to conclude that if one were giving up one’s child up for adoption, one would have already made arrangements for either an extended family member or a country national friend or acquaintance to follow through with the necessary steps to successfully adopt one’s child.  Implicit in this adoption priority system is lengthier waiting periods that will likely delay adoptions, and pressure the Guatemalan government to assume increasing levels of responsibility for neglected and/or abandoned children.  Under the newly adopted legislation, no such guarantees exist.  As a consequence, few adoptions may be successfully completed, while the number of aborted, neglected, abandoned, and abused children may increase nationally.
The status of adoptions in Guatemala is not unique in Latin America.  One only needs to examine the historically low numbers of documented adoptions across Central and South American countries. A majority of these countries document no more than low double-digit figures annually.  As a person born and bred in Latin America, I invite you to travel across the region so that you can see through your own eyes the status of children who do not have the benefit of a family, or the existence of a public infrastructure ensuring their health, and well-being.  It is my sincere hope that you will re-visit the state of adoption in Guatemala a year from now, with a focus on the status of infants and young children including those who may have been neglected, abandoned, or abused, as well as an assessment of female mortality rates that may have resulted, in part, from unsafe abortions.  Moreover, it will be important for your report to document outcomes derived from the newly enacted adoption legislation, including the extent to which the health & well being of vulnerable Guatemalan children has been improved, & the degree to which corruption has been minimized.

Thank you for sharing you family story of adoption with others.  

I would like to suggest the producers of Dateline report on our own U.S. adoption policies and procedures in international adoption.  

It has been our adoption experience that the USA adoption agencies and the USCIS are no more organized, efficient, or concerned about the kids than the PGN or the attorneys in Guatemala.

Dateline should investigate the lack of federal standardization in our own U.S.A. home study process.  Each adoption agency and each individual state has a different process for the completion of home studies.  These home studies are the precursor to most dossiers.    This lack of standardization increases abuse and adds time and cost to the process.  Most of all it makes the system's outcome measurement impossible.  

Thank you for the chance to post.  Hopefully Dateline can complement their programming with further stories on adoption.

For all those people who posted - "why not adopt American children?" - have you attempted it?  Do you really know what you are asking?  Do you really believe that adoptive parents take these decisions lightly??  This is pure ignorance on your part.  It may work perfectly for some, but does not work for everyone and until you walk in our shoes, you have no right to comment.  I would have been perfectly happy adopting a child in the U.S. - white, black, hispanic...it didn't matter to me, but it was not an option for me and I am a successful, ethical person with no history that would be offensive to anyone.

For those who believe adoptive parents shouldn't get attached to a picture...all people are not created equal, neither are their circumstances..you would do well to remember that before you judge so harshly.

As an adult adoptee, adopted as a result of an illegal adoption, I found this piece very interesting. Once the adoptees from Guatemala reach adulthood, they will be asking questions. How awful it will be for them to find out if their adoption was illegal/immoral.

Having read several comments I am truly disturbed by the ignorance demonstrated in the posts.

To ALS in NY...Maybe we should re-evaluate our US laws regarding the selling of eggs and sperm. Is not the end result the same? I do not condone birth mothers being paid regardless of their location. However, surrogates make thousands as do the millions of men and women donating eggs and sperm.

To T Rupert...God does not see borders or lines and neither do I. How do you have more of a right to something than another? We were all created by God and to suggest otherwise is ignorant on your part. There will be no lines or divisions in heaven or hell.

To the many "Why not adopt from the US?"...Here's a simple answer. My daughter and son were not in the US.

For the many who criticize...It is easy to criticize when we live in a country that has a social system that supports the poor and disabled. We also have a country that goes above and beyond with public education, welfare, SSI, and other forms of assistance. So while we live in a wealthy and plentiful country; please remember those in Guatemala and other third world countries that are not sure if they will have one meal today much less two or three.

Anonymous in DC and others criticizing the attachment to a picture. That is very cruel. Those children in the pictures are OUR children. It is no different than the ultrasound picture a pregnant woman bonds with. To suggest that we should remain indifferent to a picture is ignorant and cruel. For 5+ months that is all many people have. So do not judge those that are able to bond with that picture. I imagine they will have a much easier time bonding with their child upon arrival. I know, I've done it; twice!

DATELINE...Maybe we should take the plank out of our own eye before finding the sliver in another's. How about the domestic agencies that suggest a larger sum of cash will help find a baby in the US faster? How about researching on how many people are getting babies here in the US illegall?. How about the buying and selling of embryos, eggs, sperm. Think it doesn't happen. Think again and do some research. Regardless of how there are millions of couples wanting a child. How about finding out why the infertility rate is astronomical in the US compared to third world countries. You think Fertility doctors don't care about the money. Why does it take an average of 6 in-vitros for success at an average of $10,0000 a pop. Hmmmm. I think some fairness is due.

Why don't you do a real hard-core story and expose UNICEF's actions against international adoption?  Both UNICEF and the U.S. State Department want to shut it down from all countries as an option for orphaned children and U.S. families.  Instead of picking a story with some obvious "flair" to it, do some real work for a change.  

Attacking UNICEF and the State Department would represent actual hard work on your part.  Most people assume UNICEF is an absolute "good", since they only advertise themselves as the entity that feeds starving children.  But their actions basically remove the already minimal rights that women/birthmothers may have in their home countries with respect to what they need to do with their families or in their children's best interest.  UNICEF's positions are also dangerous toward the wellbeing of the children.  UNICEF applauded the shutdown of Romania and Cambodia, but are they taking care of the thousands of children who are now graduating from poor institutionalized care into being street people over there - NO!  Is anyone aware how UNICEF spends tons of their donor's money bribing government officials in third world countries in order to pass legislation that favors their philosophies?  Isn't most of that money supposed to get to the kids?

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department is fully complacent with all of this.  In all the adoption cases where U.S. families are having trouble or getting defrauded, the State Department rarely steps in to offer any real help.  In Guatemala in particular, it is barely even a crime to traffic in human beings.  If you are convicted, the penalty is either three years in prison or you can just pay a fine of 5,000 Quetzales ($600 U.S. dollars).  People who are convicted freely continue to operate in the adoption business.  

The Guatemalans need to enforce their current laws more than they need new ones.  In general, their society continues to reflect the same structure as it did shortly after the Conquistadors arrived there so long ago.  Changing that and changing those elite families who control everything and keep that system in place is the key to making things better for everybody down there.

My family has been adopting for over 4 years. Our problems have been with the PGN in Guatemala. We have been there 4 times and each time our paperwork is bounced for something different. Our boys are now 9 and 6 and we are moving there in May to be full-yime missionaries. It is our hope that the adoption will be finished before we move there. But with all of th new laws it is really frustrating. We will continue to fight for them becaue they are our sons. There parents are dead and we are all they have. Please pray for us. Check out our ministry at www.clubhouseguatemala.com .

My husband and I brought home our gorgeous 8 month old son from Guatemala in July '07. As we navigated through every obstacle our emotions were up and down daily. However, we know that we did everything possible to assure that our son wasn't "stolen" or "bought". Our lawyer was extremely knowledgable and truely cared about the children in his country. Now when I wake up to my little 15 month "guatling" I thank God everyday for the blessing of our son and for his birth mother that wanted the best for her son.

In talking with my girls about their adoption particularly my oldest one, she talks of being left with a family while her mom was working, and she left this home to go get her mom whom was only a couple of streets away, and she was picked up along with her siblings and placed in a Hogar. Supposedly according to my daughter, her mom would come to the Hogar to see the children and my daughter would see her, and see her be turned away and not permitted to visit.  I worry that my children may too have been stolen from their family.  They have a real good story of abuse but a slight lack of evidence to back it up. These girls are very confused and only now 3 yrs later are beginning to open up and talk about being placed in the orphanage. I may never know the full truth, but what I do know is that I have 2 wonderful daughters, one of whom remembers and so dearly loves her birth mom and yearns to be reunited though that may never happen.  I can't afford the search and my attempts to get information from the Hogar have been very limited and non-responsive.  I know my girls have a Bio-Brother in another state but contact with that family has been unsuccessful, the girls feel he was kidnapped from them, as they were once all together.
Praying corruption ends in all adoptions

I am adopted, From Guatemala in 1986 .. you do the math ,, anyway just wondering if any one has any questions about things? i have alot of questions for other children .. or adults. !

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