Banana Republic to Baby Republic

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• Reader Comments (9)

  Page 1 of 1 pages

  I see that Jacob Wheeler has a degree in “creative non-fiction” which is, unfortunately, what this article most certainly is.

  In his unbalanced account of “baby-stealing,” Mr. Wheeler neglects to mention that in response to concerns about the adoption system in Guatemala, the U.S. embassy instituted two DNA tests to make sure that children are not “stolen” for adoption.  A positive match between relinquishing mother and child is required for a child to be adopted to the U.S.

  His selective quotes from GuatAdopt and his references to American couples spending $25,000 to $30,000 and leaving “days or weeks later” (it took nine months for my son) “with no questions asked” and “lounging with their soon-to-be-adopted Mayan children” enjoying “the leisurely Latin American lifestyle” is an unfortunate caricature and does a disservice both to the many adoptive families who ask questions and push for reform and to the readers of In These Times.

  Mari

  Posted by meshopsi on Nov 5, 2007 at 10:30 AM

  Perhaps one might be happier if they merely aborted the children (better dead than in El Norte?)?

  Posted by wolf on Nov 5, 2007 at 10:41 AM

  Some of what Mr. Wheeler wrote is accurate but taken out of context and twisted to his own agenda.  I have to agree with the above two posters, is abortion more of an option or how about birth control? And the statement that we Americans spend $25,000 to $35,000 and leave days and weeks later is inaccurate and totally misrepresented.  You fail to mention the homestudy, background checks both on the state and federal level, INS approval process that can take months to complete as well as the two DNA tests that are done on baby and mother, Guatemalan family court and finally if all is right and in oder PGN approval and then you get submitted for a pink slip and then you can travel the few days to complet the adoption.  We are in the midst of our second adoption from Guatemala and I can assure you and your readers that the process is anything as simple as handing over money and you get your child. 

  Also, the stance by UNICEF that the children of poverty stricken countries not just Guatemala should have to languish in a system that doesn’t work just because they believe they should stay in their “own culture” and use international adoption as a last resort is absurd to me.  Children should be guaranteed a right to a family and permancy regardless of race, creed, or religon.  UNICEF’s beliefs are misguided and frankly border on racist in my opinion.

  I am not niave enough to believe that there isn’t some corruption that goes on in international adoption but the irregularities they speak of are few and far between as the old statement goes “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” sure holds true here.  The system needs to be addressed but what about the children who live in poverty?  Maybe addressing the fundamental aspects of the societal issues that plague third world countries like malnutrition, family planning, education etc should be addressed and not attacking a vital role that international adoption plays here.  International adoption is not a cure-all to the woes of these countries and it can’t save them all but it has a role.
  Mary

  Posted by mpna on Nov 5, 2007 at 11:57 AM

  “Adoptive parents can spend approximately $25,000 to $30,000 to adopt from Guatemala, and most of them leave days or weeks later with their little ones cradled in their arms, and with no questions asked as to how the attorneys acquired their babies.”

  WHAT A PIECE OF GARBAGE REPORTING!!!!  Seriously!  Do you honestly think that the US would issue visas to children obtained in the fictitious way as you describe?  PLEASE, I want to slap sense into you.  Obviously you have no care in writing the truth.  Don’t you even have fact checkers?  We have been waiting for nearly a year to adopt a child from Guatemala.  Why so long?  Because of the rigorous red tape on both the US side and the Guatemala side.  To top it off, our adoption may never happen and a child may remain homeless.  You obviously did NO research. 

  YOU MAKE ME SICK!  You should be fired for this type of garbage.  To top it off in the “post your comments” section, it states “please be respectful in your comments"… yet you can report this kind of bull.

  Posted by Waiting Mommy on Nov 5, 2007 at 12:24 PM

  How sad. You have written (like most other media outlets) a poorly researched, one-sided, anti-adoption piece.You have jumped on the media bandwagon of bashing International adoption. Is there no such thing as balanced, well-researched, truthful journalism any more?

  This statement in particular is ridiculously innacurate: “Adoptive parents can spend approximately $25,000 to $30,000 to adopt from Guatemala, and most of them leave days or weeks later with their little ones cradled in their arms, and with no questions asked as to how the attorneys acquired their babies.” It took us 12 months to compete our adoption and we have a detailed report prepared by a Guatemalan family court appointed social worker that clearly details the origin of our adopted son and the reasons why his first mother chose relinquish him. We also have a photo of his first mother and the DNA lab results that prove she was indeed his biological mother.

  I could go on, but will let others correct the additional misleading and poorly reported information in this article.

  Creative non-fiction, indeed.

  Posted by Tomm on Nov 6, 2007 at 11:08 AM

  I didn’t see this as an anti adoption piece.  I saw this as an ethics in adoption piece.

  My sister was adopted internationally from South Korea 31 years ago as an infant, so that is my personal connection to adoption.

  Yet, what the comments don’t focus on is that number of waiting children in the US.  Check out the federal data in AFCARS.

  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report13.htm

  Here are some things I would point out (data from Federal Fiscal Year 2005):

  • 24,407 youths were emancipated, meaning they left childhood without a solid legal connection to a family.  They may never have a parent to be there for them on their wedding day.  Yes some return to the birth parents (which is often unhealthy relationship), some maintain connections with foster parents, but many don’t that support system any more.

  • On Sept 30, 2005 (end of FY 2005) there were 20,687 children in foster care (5,972 who had a case plan of adoption) who were 7 years old like Ellie in the story.

  • Could money be better spent in the US and Guatemala to keep families intact?  In the US via Family Preservation supports and services and in Guatemala via family planning and general social services.

  Posted by chaoslegs on Nov 8, 2007 at 10:48 AM

  Last year I traveled to Guatemala and stayed at the Marriott hotel. I was surprised to see a number of babies and small children (some of them with their mothers, some not) and about twenty couples who were, I learned later, expecting to take the children to the States. I was surprised to find an adoption agency at work in a private hotel and although I tried to find out whether that was legal, nobody could answer that, or wouldn’t. The Americans were not allowed to take the children outside the hotel boundaries until the day they left. The day before they left, all aboard a van provided by the hotel, I saw some of the mothers walking away in tears. My main concern is: who is in charge of doing the follow-up in those adoptions, what authority, both Guatemalan and American is responsible for their well-being, their integrity, their future? The sight was painful, and I couldn’t help feeling there is something wrong with a world that sells children as if they were pets instead of helping them in their own homes. Adoption laws are probably too strict and take a long time to complete the procedures but each human being has a right to its identity, its culture, and its protection. On that occasion I wrote several letters to different organizations but there was no answer.
  As a last comment, I must say that the title of the article included a despective “Banana Republic” which I resent.  Who of us chose where to be born or our personal circumstances? Are you sure that just by giving a child some comforts or things money can buy will provide him or her with a better life? That’s a one-sided view.

  Posted by Maria on Nov 10, 2007 at 8:43 PM

  Funny, no answers this time either. Maybe I asked the wrong questions or maybe this enterprise is not as cristal clear as they pretend it to be.

  Posted by Maria on Nov 14, 2007 at 9:22 PM

  Maria,

  I know which hotel you speak of and yes it is legal for adopting parents to visit and pick up the children that they have chosen to love and cherish as their very own. The mothers you see “walking away in tears” are the foster mothers that have taken care of the children during the adoption process. I think it is fair to say that they also love these children.

  The children are not “sold as if they are pets” as you say. I wish the Guatemalan government did help the birth mothers to raise the children they bring into this world. But the very sad fact is the government does not provide any assistance to feed, clothe and educate those poor children. Take some time to look up some of the statistics and information about child mortality, malnutrition and women’s rights in Guatemala and perhaps you will understand why many mothers feel the most loving thing to do is place the child for adoption.

  Posted by Tomm on Nov 15, 2007 at 11:30 AM

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