The campaign, which lasts all through September, aims to increase awareness of animal shelters which they hope will then increase pet adoptions. Local models will sport not only the latest fashions from Maurices, but they’ll each be holding a pet that is up for adoption at their local shelter.

Maurices also hopes to collect 500,000 pounds of supplies from customers for the more than 730 shelters across the U.S. that will benefit from the campaign. To donate, simply drop off supplies at your local Maurices store.

They’re also offering a very cute Friends for Life charm set for sale. One half goes with you on a keychain or necklace and the other can be clipped to your four-legged friend’s collar. They’re available for $5 per set, and half of that goes directly to the ASPCA.

[image: zuma press]

Post from: Blisstree

Rescues and Runways

I do hope that this is simply media farce but I know that sometimes this can be all too real. Media tends to over examine events like this and make it into a mass hysteria event for ratings and page views. At this point our agency has not heard anything about a suspension and there are only two media reports so I don’t even know if this is real.  Please read this post with an objective mind and do some more research of your own before you “freak out”.We were told last week (via our representative in Guatemala who specifically went to PGN to confirm) that Guatemalan officials would not close or suspend adoptions because they wanted to proceed with adoptions plans. However, this morning, officials state that they want to suspend adoptions for at least a month to review paperwork of all pending adoptions. They are specifically looking for irregularities in paperwork.

I understand that Guatemala officials want to ensure that cases are official and that their children are protected but do they really have to shut the entire process down? Why can’t they simply double check each case as it passes through PGN? Then, after all cases have been processed through PGN they can halt all adoptions and facilitate an entirely new adoption process with safeguards for their birth mothers and children.

To me, that makes sense because no children get stuck in the system, waiting in foster care for their families.

Here is the Guatemalan paper, Prensa Libre.

On a Side Note

For all of you waiting to bring your children home please remember that this is absolutely NOT your agency’s fault and please don’t hound them to get something done, as they can’t really do anything. Please don’t make their job any harder than it is to bring you information and help you through the process. Allow them to gather information and do their jobs…vent on your own time, not to them.

Post from: Blisstree

Guatemala Adoptions Halted?

From the US Department of State

The China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) has issued the following new regulations for foreigners who wish to adopt children in China. These regulations become effective for all application received after May 1, 2007.

Adoption is limited to married couples, made up of a man and a woman, who fit the following criteria:

1. They must have been married at least two years. If either person has previously divorced, the couple must have been married at least five years. No more than two divorces are allowed.
2. Both partners must be between the ages of 30 and 50. Those couples who apply to adopt a special needs child must be between the ages of 30 and 55.
3. Both partners must be physically and mentally fit, with none of the following conditions:a. AIDS;
   b. Mental disability;
   c. Infectious disease that is actively contagious;
   d. Blind in either eye;
   e. Hearing loss in both ears or loss of language function (those adopting children with hearing or language function loss are exempted from this requirement);
   f. Non-function or dysfunction of limbs or trunk caused by impairment, incomplete limbs, paralysis or deformation;
   g. Severe facial deformation;
   h. Severe diseases that require long-term treatment and that may affect life expectancy, including malignant tumors, lupus, nephrosis, epilepsy, etc;
   i. Major organ transplant within ten years;
   j. Schizophrenia;
   k. Severe mental disorders requiring medication for more than two years, including depression, mania, or anxiety neurosis;
   l. Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more
4. At least one member of the couple must have stable employment. The total value of family assets must be at least $80,000. The family’s annual income equals at least $10,000 for each family member in the household (including the child to be adopted). Annual income excludes welfare, pensions, unemployment insurance, government subsidies and the like.
5. Both prospective parents must be high school graduates or have vocational training equivalent to a high school education.
6. The family must have fewer than five children under the age of 18, and the youngest is at least one year old (those adopting special needs children are exempted from this requirement).
7. Neither partner may have a significant criminal record, and both must have a history of honorable behavior and good moral character with no evidence of:
   a. Domestic violence, sexual abuse, abandonment or abuse of children;
   b. Use of narcotics or any potentially addictive medication prescribed for mental illness;
   c. Alcohol abuse, unless the individual can show she/he has been sober for at least ten years.Note: Applications from persons with past criminal records will be considered on a case-by-case basis if the individual has fewer than three minor criminal convictions (none in the last ten years) and fewer than five minor traffic violations.
8. The prospective parents must demonstrate the ability to provide a warm family environment capable of meeting the needs of an orphaned child and providing for her/his development, and an understanding of the special risks (including potential diseases, developmental delays, and post-placement maladjustment) that could come with inter-country adoption.
9. The couple must provide an adoption application letter that makes clear the applicants’ willingness to allow post-placement follow-ups and provide post-placement reports as required.Note: In each instance above where a specific age or time span is cited, it will be computed from the time that the CCAA officially logs the adoption application documents.

Post from: Blisstree

Country Requirements: China

1. Central Authority can not begin processing any cases until PGN has verified the information submitted by the lawyers. However, PGN can not send information on cases that have not yet been submitted to PGN.

2. PGN will not accept any cases without CA registration and CA wants PGN registration. Sounds like things are a tad backwards?

3. There is yet another form…this time with additional information; picture of the child, the birth date of the child, and date the process started. The initial form only included the name of the child, the biological and adoptive parents names, and the notary and date the case was started.

4. Marvin Rabanales is no longer the director, since he was fired. In his place is Elizabeth Hernandez del Arios, former chief of the Central Authority during the Hague in 2003. (She is also the same person who wanted to collect the second half of the adoption fees early and force lawyers to find ways to support children until the adoptions were final.)

5. The Central Authority will not be paid until until the all the appointments have been made.

A Yahoo group has been set up for parents in process.

For those of us in process, how are you feeling about this?

How about we keep people like this little guy in mind instead of politics?

Post from: Blisstree

Five Problems with Central Authority

Instead of completely pulling out of the process we decided to put our names into domestic adoption as well (along with some of our money) and keep our name on the list with our agency just in case. Several weeks ago we received an email from our agency stating that although the Guatemalan congress had passed the Grandfather Clause they would not be issuing referrals because they were focusing on the families who were in process, something that I think is admirable.

However, last Friday, our social worker called in a panic…trying to get a hold of us (were were in a doctor’s meeting and were not answering the phone). To our surprise she had a referral for infant boy and wanted to know if we were interested. The only catches; we had to give her an answer immediately, we would be traveling blind, and we had to be there on the 26th.

So, without (okay, with a lot of ) hesitation we said yes…booked our flight and invited my parents over for dinner, as we needed to ask them to watch AJ. We waited to tell the rest of the family in person on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

As expected our family was ecstatic for us because they know how much this means.

Post from: Blisstree

How We Got to Guatemala

But, there are other problems.

In November 2002 the President of Guatemala sent documents to the Hague acceding to the Convention, with his Congress’s approval but this was done under much political pressure.

From GuatFam.org

The Guatemalan constitution does not permit accession to treaties, only ratification, and the terms under which Guatemala agreed to the Vienna Convention (which governs all international treaties) complicated this matter further. As a result the accession to HCICA was declared unconstitutional by Guatemala’s Constitutional Court in August 2003, and adoptions then continued under the previous system. Little work has been done since to develop Hague-compliant procedures, and within Guatemala the legal view seems to be that Guatemala is not a Hague country, and cannot become one.

However, because Guatemala’s original accession was properly documented under international legal standards, and Guatemala did not withdraw from HCICA when the accession was declared unconstitutional, under international law Guatemala is considered a Hague country by the Hague Conference and by other countries, including the US.

This US view has created pressure on the Guatemalan government to complete a system which complies with HCICA so that adoptions can continue. Additional details on what may happen with this are below.

In early 2007 the Guatemalan government and Constitutional Court began to address the complex international legal issues related to the Vienna Convention and the powers of the different branches of the Guatemalan government to accede to treaties. This step appears intended to pave the way for proper HCICA ratification by Guatemala.

Post from: Blisstree

Why Guatemala is NOT Hague Compliant?

Everyone has heard the rumors that Guatemala is baby trafficking and harvesting babies to “export” them to American families. But, are these rumors true? “Critics say a shadowy Guatemalan system has helped lawyers, middlemen — and even birth mothers — collect sizable payoffs.”

Today’s Chicago Tribune headlines with Guatemala…I woke up to a front page…”Guatemala Baby Factory” smeared across my breakfast cereal and cold medicine. I’ve heard it all before so I’m actually immune to the headlines now but my family and friends are not. I get text messages, phone messages, emails, and phone calls…all in good faith because they know we are in the process of adopting from Guatemala, or better yet…were in the process.

We heard from our social worker again on Thursday with more news. The Guatemalan will vote on adding the Grandfather Clause into effect this week, thus allowing families more time to complete adoptions (The implementation date of the Convention will be April 30, 2008). Additionally, it may also allow agencies to refer children quickly and begin processing. However, the average time frame has been 10 months from referral to completion and after the Grandfather Clause is up the adoptions will be completed under the old system. Does this mean that the cases will be Grandfathered in even after April 30?

Right now, the debate is passionate, as pro-adoption lobbyists do not want to send Guatemalan children into the streets and Guatemalan officials say the country is becoming “painfully aware that is youngest citizens have turned into “merchandise”".

For more news and updates: see JSCIS

Post from: Blisstree

Guatemala Fights Baby Trafficking Image

Unfortunately, that is what is going to happen for between 3,000 and 5,000 families in the United States. If their adoptions are not finalized before January 1, 2008 their adoption process will officially halt.

Guatemala will be attempting to comply with international standards, or the Hague Convention treaty, which they ratified four years ago but they have not enacted. Additionally, UNICEF has entered the picture and is supporting the moratorium because of rumors of baby snatching and baby “farming” practices.

“UNICEF supports the moratorium so that Guatemala can bring its adoption process in line with other countries … in order to protect not only the rights of children but also of those adopting,” UNICEF spokesman Patrick McCormick said. “There’s no reason why adoptions cannot restart once this has happened.”

The Guatemalan congress will vote next month to “Grandfather” in existing adoption cases even though the plan’s original language does not provide for such exceptions.

Post from: Blisstree

Guatemalan Moratoreum?