Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to suspend all intercountry adoption with American families on January 1 2008. The Joint Council on International Children’s Services strongly opposes such a suspension and asks for your support in their efforts to ensure that all children retain the right to permanency through Intercountry Adoption.
President Berger’s plans also call for the suspension of adoptions currently in-process. Such a suspension would be extremely detrimental to the children referred to adoptive parents. If President Berger’s plan is actually implemented, up to 5,000 will unnecessarily remain in foster care or orphanages indefinitely.
This situation represents a pending crisis for the adoptive families who have lovingly chosen to provide permanency, safety and love to a child in need and most importantly a crisis for 5,000 children of Guatemala.

The birthparents for these children have already relinquished their parental rights. As a result, they currently have no family and the Berger suspension will result in these children having no prospect for a permanent, safe and loving family. The government of Guatemala currently does not have the finances or facilities to even provide housing for these 5,000 children. The Berger plan is a crisis waiting to happen.

I just read this email (above) date Oct. 3, 2007. It was buried in my inbox and I thought it was junk. I will be researching this more and letting you know where this stands tomorrow.
Our precious Gabi is a Guatemalan adoptee. We treasure her and praise God for her. I CAN NOT imagine losing her during the process we went through. AND we know a family that is in the middle of their adoption that will be effected by Berger’s “plan.” This is no plan AT ALL. Please pray for this situation and let me know if you are willing to write a letter to UNICEF or the GUA government about this. I have their addresses. I pray there has been some hope given already.
Blessings and prayers for these children today.
Lee

The picture above is one I took while we were in Antigua, Guatemala VISITING Gabi during our adoption process.