S
Shoshanna
Guest
For those of us pondering adoption, Guatemala has been mentioned as a country that doesn't pose any medical limitations. Saw this on CNN this morning and wanted to pass along. Guatemala is in the spotlight right now because President Bush is there. I'm not for or against adoptions from Guatemala. Only passing this along because I think the information is insightful.
S. O'BRIEN: President Bush is in Guatemala this morning. He's pushing free trade and is also going to tour Mayan ruins. But there's another topic that may come up. It's a warning from the U.S. State Department for families who want to adopt a child from Guatemala. AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho has been watching that for us.
Good morning.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Soledad. Good morning to you.
You know, you may be surprised to hear the American families who choose to adopt turn to Guatemala more than any other country, except for China. Many of those adoptions are perfectly legal, but the U.S. is now worried that Guatemalan women are being coerced to give up their babies for money. A government official tells us the industry is profit driven and completely unregulated.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice over): Meet 10-month-old Jorge Alberto, a doe-eyed baby from Guatemala. William and Maria Gonzalez-Slattery's ultimate gift.
MARIA GONZALEZ-SLATTERY, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: It was like Christmas and your birthdays all rolled up in one.
CHO: The Slatterlys adopted little Jorge because they couldn't have kids of their own. Last year more than 4,000 children from Guatemala were adopted in the United States, second only to china. Most of the adoptions are perfectly legal, but some are not.
THOMAS DIFILIPO, JOINT COUNCIL ON INT'L. CHILDRENS SERVICES: They skirt laws. They ignore laws.
CHO: A U.S. government official tells CNN the Guatemalan adoption industry, an $80 million a year business, is rife with abuse and driven by profit.
DIFILIPO: So you have situations in Guatemala where there are accusations that birth mothers have been induced, financially, to put their child up for adoption.
CHO: There are also reports of babies being sold by impostors posing as biological parents. Last month, Mary Bonn, a well-known adoption facilitator in Florida was charged with smuggling a baby girl from Guatemala into the United States. Bond pleaded not guilty.
MARY BONN, ADOPTION FACILITATOR: She's a baby. She deserved a chance.
CHO: That case prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a rare warning, strongly urging Americans to carefully consider their options before proceeding with adoptions in Guatemala. The Guatemalan government admits there is a problem and is working to fix it. Three out of four people live in poverty in Guatemala, a big reason why so many children are adopted.
JOSEFINA ARELLANO, ATTY. GEN. FOR MINORS & FAMILY: This child is going to really have a life outside of Guatemala, but a good life.
CHO: That's exactly why they're trying to adopt Jorge's biological sister, four-year-old Maritsa, but no one knows now if that adoption will ever happen.
SLATTERY: I would be a death. And more so worrying because you would never know what happened to this child, and what future that child would have. There would be no way of knowing. So for the rest of your life you would carry this with you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: One international adoption expert tells us the real tragedy is when these unethical practices come to light, it creates a negative atmosphere across all adoptions. And you don't have to be an expert know it is the children who suffer. Of course, Soledad, as you well know, there are so many children in need of homes and these American families are more than willing to take them in.
S. O'BRIEN: And the poverty is so entrenched. You can see women saying this may be the only way to some money.
CHO: That's right.
S. O'BRIEN: Even if they're being coerced. So, what is going to happen the Slatterlys? What are the chances that they'll be able to get that little four-year-old sister?
CHO: That's the big question. They call it an emotional roller coaster. The one day the paperwork is in order, the next day it's not. The short answer is, they're hopeful, but worried. The longer answer is that the State Department, as I mentioned in the piece, has issued this warning. But for now it says it is not considering an outright ban on Guatemalan adoptions.
S. O'BRIEN: Did they tell you how much they paid? I mean how much it cost them to adopt the baby?
CHO: Well, $20,000 for the son. It would be another $20,000 for the daughter, if they're able to get her. Of course, they're hopeful they are able to get her. The prices have gone up for adoptions in Guatemala, in recent years. And that has prompted the State Department to say -- ask the question, where is this money going? The answer is, nobody knows.
S. O'BRIEN: I would imagine it's not going to those mothers. Those poor mothers who are giving up their babies. Oh, so sad. Alina, great story, thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: President Bush is in Guatemala this morning. He's pushing free trade and is also going to tour Mayan ruins. But there's another topic that may come up. It's a warning from the U.S. State Department for families who want to adopt a child from Guatemala. AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho has been watching that for us.
Good morning.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Soledad. Good morning to you.
You know, you may be surprised to hear the American families who choose to adopt turn to Guatemala more than any other country, except for China. Many of those adoptions are perfectly legal, but the U.S. is now worried that Guatemalan women are being coerced to give up their babies for money. A government official tells us the industry is profit driven and completely unregulated.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice over): Meet 10-month-old Jorge Alberto, a doe-eyed baby from Guatemala. William and Maria Gonzalez-Slattery's ultimate gift.
MARIA GONZALEZ-SLATTERY, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: It was like Christmas and your birthdays all rolled up in one.
CHO: The Slatterlys adopted little Jorge because they couldn't have kids of their own. Last year more than 4,000 children from Guatemala were adopted in the United States, second only to china. Most of the adoptions are perfectly legal, but some are not.
THOMAS DIFILIPO, JOINT COUNCIL ON INT'L. CHILDRENS SERVICES: They skirt laws. They ignore laws.
CHO: A U.S. government official tells CNN the Guatemalan adoption industry, an $80 million a year business, is rife with abuse and driven by profit.
DIFILIPO: So you have situations in Guatemala where there are accusations that birth mothers have been induced, financially, to put their child up for adoption.
CHO: There are also reports of babies being sold by impostors posing as biological parents. Last month, Mary Bonn, a well-known adoption facilitator in Florida was charged with smuggling a baby girl from Guatemala into the United States. Bond pleaded not guilty.
MARY BONN, ADOPTION FACILITATOR: She's a baby. She deserved a chance.
CHO: That case prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a rare warning, strongly urging Americans to carefully consider their options before proceeding with adoptions in Guatemala. The Guatemalan government admits there is a problem and is working to fix it. Three out of four people live in poverty in Guatemala, a big reason why so many children are adopted.
JOSEFINA ARELLANO, ATTY. GEN. FOR MINORS & FAMILY: This child is going to really have a life outside of Guatemala, but a good life.
CHO: That's exactly why they're trying to adopt Jorge's biological sister, four-year-old Maritsa, but no one knows now if that adoption will ever happen.
SLATTERY: I would be a death. And more so worrying because you would never know what happened to this child, and what future that child would have. There would be no way of knowing. So for the rest of your life you would carry this with you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: One international adoption expert tells us the real tragedy is when these unethical practices come to light, it creates a negative atmosphere across all adoptions. And you don't have to be an expert know it is the children who suffer. Of course, Soledad, as you well know, there are so many children in need of homes and these American families are more than willing to take them in.
S. O'BRIEN: And the poverty is so entrenched. You can see women saying this may be the only way to some money.
CHO: That's right.
S. O'BRIEN: Even if they're being coerced. So, what is going to happen the Slatterlys? What are the chances that they'll be able to get that little four-year-old sister?
CHO: That's the big question. They call it an emotional roller coaster. The one day the paperwork is in order, the next day it's not. The short answer is, they're hopeful, but worried. The longer answer is that the State Department, as I mentioned in the piece, has issued this warning. But for now it says it is not considering an outright ban on Guatemalan adoptions.
S. O'BRIEN: Did they tell you how much they paid? I mean how much it cost them to adopt the baby?
CHO: Well, $20,000 for the son. It would be another $20,000 for the daughter, if they're able to get her. Of course, they're hopeful they are able to get her. The prices have gone up for adoptions in Guatemala, in recent years. And that has prompted the State Department to say -- ask the question, where is this money going? The answer is, nobody knows.
S. O'BRIEN: I would imagine it's not going to those mothers. Those poor mothers who are giving up their babies. Oh, so sad. Alina, great story, thank you.