A website is being created, IVFVictimsNetwork.org, that is intended to educate American women about the ongoing practice of unauthorized egg-sharing in this country, and provide a way for them to protect themselves from becoming victims of this heinous practice. It is under construction and scheduled to be available January 2010.
Ironically, one of the biggest hurdles may be convincing some women who are undergoing IVF in this country that they are at risk and should not blindly trust physician service providersbeleiving they are more committed to the oath to do no harm than to make a smuch money as they can.
An independent audit reported 669 embryos and 2,140 eggs unaccounted for, and a plethora of additional evidence indicating unauthorized egg-sharing practices.
As we learned from a similar unauthorized egg-sharing scandal (commonly referred to as The UCI Fertility Scandal) which erupted in Orange County, California during the mid-1990s, the real victims are, course, the children conceived through unauthorized egg-sharing arrangements, who will eventually come of age, and begin searching for their maternal genetic roots by contacting the fertility clinics where they were conceived, only to find out that the records containing this invaluable information have been destroyed (ostensibly to keep the clinic's need for storage space under control, but more likely to protect the reputations of those who facilitated, and profited from, these unconscionable, black-market reproduction arrangements).
The Royal Heritage Foundation, a Non-Profit, Public Benefit Organization, was established in October 2008 to assist these tragically forgotten children as they search for their genetic origins.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Samoan Kidnappings Sidetracked by "Red Herring"
Follow-up to my Dec 11 post.
Samoan kids were KIDNAPPED! Fifty seven that we know of. The couple who ran the adoption agency, Focus on Children in Utah, have been arrested for fraud. The very serious charges include: Two counts of conspiracy, 37 of bringing in illegal aliens to the United States; 37 of encouraging or inducing illegal aliens to come to, enter or reside in the United States; 34 of fraud and misuse of visas; 19 of laundering of monetary instruments; and six of monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity.
The agency owners, Karen and Scott Banks and five agency employees accused could face up to 80 years' prison, and fines of up to $2.25 million U.S. if found guilty. There have been allegations that children at the house were mistreated. One little girl, Heta Sioka, left the house on the brink of starvation after her Samoan family demanded to see her and she later died in hospital from severe malnutrition. For all the evidence that some Focus on Children staff may have deceived parents, the Samoan government has stead-fastly refused to allow U.S. authorities to take the two suspects from Samoa back to America.
In October 2008, it was further revealed that the Banks’, who have two biological children, adopted their first three children from Romania, three from Russia and a girl from China [being challenged - see comment]. The adoption from China was challenged by Curry and Mary Frances Kirkpatrick, of Overland Park, Kansas, who said they were to adopt the 4 year-old girl and placed her temporarily with the Bankses when they needed respite care. The Bankses claim the Kirkpatricks abandoned her. The Bankses, however, admit sending two of the Romanian adopted children to American Samoa, however, claiming failure to bond. What they neglected to send with the children were any birth, adoption or social security records leaving one of the children, Meauli, now 18, and the boy she refers to as her brother, with no identity, no ability to drive, travel or enter college.
Meanwhile, Samoan families are distraught however and are unable to retrieve the children they lost without filing custody charges in the U.S. against those who have adopted them, unwittingly. Only one child, eight-year-old Sei So, has so far returned to Samoa. Sei is happy but misses the toys and her American family. The woman who adopted her, Kari Nyberg, said: "As much as we love her and can't imagine life without her, we never would have taken a child away from a family that wanted to raise her."
CBS Sheds Light Amidst Backlash
Now a 48 Hours investigation report is bringing this tragedy into sharp focus. It's making national headlines and those who don't like it have created a diversion:
The media is now being flooded with stories (such as this one) of how CBS paid to fly one of the adoptive mothers to Samoa to film her daughter's reunion with her Samoan mother. SO FREAKIN WHAT!!!
Bob Steele, a journalism values scholar at DePauw University, said it was a legitimate story. But CBS' financial involvement raised ethical questions. "I'm certainly troubled when a news organization financially involves itself in the course of a story and potentially impacts how the story develops," he said.
Susan Zirinsky, "48 Hours" executive producer, compared the arrangement to when news organizations fly interview subjects to locations for interviews. That's a common practice among morning shows, for example, who will fly interviewees to New York and put them up in a nice hotel. If CBS had arranged for both families to come to New York, it wouldn't have been an issue, she said. She thought Samoa was the proper place to unspool the story. "We wanted to put the families together and talk to them together," she said. "Journalistically, I felt that was absolutely appropriate to be able to discuss with both families in one location how they felt and how they were going to work it out."
You'd think the network drummed the whole story up, fabricated it, or paid someone to lie the way the media has run with this one aspect of the story - totally taking the spotlight off the fact that FIFTY SEVEN children have bene kidnapped and, once again, as with the Guatemalan kidnap victims - the U.S. government is standing idly by and doing absolutely nothing to confirm or deny.
The "controversy" about this is as ridiculous - and stems from the same sources - as the hullabaloo over the horror film The Orphan.
Let's get our priorities straight: Kids have been kidnapped. their families in Samoa are distraught and the recipients and the U.S. government are stonewalling!
Also lost in the smoke screen is the fact that the CBS story focused on Mike and Kari Nyberg, from outside Salt Lake City, Utah, whose adopted daughter went back to Samoa permanently! CBS was not involved in paying for the Nybergs' trip.
Samoan kids were KIDNAPPED! Fifty seven that we know of. The couple who ran the adoption agency, Focus on Children in Utah, have been arrested for fraud. The very serious charges include: Two counts of conspiracy, 37 of bringing in illegal aliens to the United States; 37 of encouraging or inducing illegal aliens to come to, enter or reside in the United States; 34 of fraud and misuse of visas; 19 of laundering of monetary instruments; and six of monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity.
The agency owners, Karen and Scott Banks and five agency employees accused could face up to 80 years' prison, and fines of up to $2.25 million U.S. if found guilty. There have been allegations that children at the house were mistreated. One little girl, Heta Sioka, left the house on the brink of starvation after her Samoan family demanded to see her and she later died in hospital from severe malnutrition. For all the evidence that some Focus on Children staff may have deceived parents, the Samoan government has stead-fastly refused to allow U.S. authorities to take the two suspects from Samoa back to America.
In October 2008, it was further revealed that the Banks’, who have two biological children, adopted their first three children from Romania, three from Russia and a girl from China [being challenged - see comment]. The adoption from China was challenged by Curry and Mary Frances Kirkpatrick, of Overland Park, Kansas, who said they were to adopt the 4 year-old girl and placed her temporarily with the Bankses when they needed respite care. The Bankses claim the Kirkpatricks abandoned her. The Bankses, however, admit sending two of the Romanian adopted children to American Samoa, however, claiming failure to bond. What they neglected to send with the children were any birth, adoption or social security records leaving one of the children, Meauli, now 18, and the boy she refers to as her brother, with no identity, no ability to drive, travel or enter college.
Meanwhile, Samoan families are distraught however and are unable to retrieve the children they lost without filing custody charges in the U.S. against those who have adopted them, unwittingly. Only one child, eight-year-old Sei So, has so far returned to Samoa. Sei is happy but misses the toys and her American family. The woman who adopted her, Kari Nyberg, said: "As much as we love her and can't imagine life without her, we never would have taken a child away from a family that wanted to raise her."
CBS Sheds Light Amidst Backlash
Now a 48 Hours investigation report is bringing this tragedy into sharp focus. It's making national headlines and those who don't like it have created a diversion:
The media is now being flooded with stories (such as this one) of how CBS paid to fly one of the adoptive mothers to Samoa to film her daughter's reunion with her Samoan mother. SO FREAKIN WHAT!!!
Bob Steele, a journalism values scholar at DePauw University, said it was a legitimate story. But CBS' financial involvement raised ethical questions. "I'm certainly troubled when a news organization financially involves itself in the course of a story and potentially impacts how the story develops," he said.
Susan Zirinsky, "48 Hours" executive producer, compared the arrangement to when news organizations fly interview subjects to locations for interviews. That's a common practice among morning shows, for example, who will fly interviewees to New York and put them up in a nice hotel. If CBS had arranged for both families to come to New York, it wouldn't have been an issue, she said. She thought Samoa was the proper place to unspool the story. "We wanted to put the families together and talk to them together," she said. "Journalistically, I felt that was absolutely appropriate to be able to discuss with both families in one location how they felt and how they were going to work it out."
You'd think the network drummed the whole story up, fabricated it, or paid someone to lie the way the media has run with this one aspect of the story - totally taking the spotlight off the fact that FIFTY SEVEN children have bene kidnapped and, once again, as with the Guatemalan kidnap victims - the U.S. government is standing idly by and doing absolutely nothing to confirm or deny.
The "controversy" about this is as ridiculous - and stems from the same sources - as the hullabaloo over the horror film The Orphan.
Let's get our priorities straight: Kids have been kidnapped. their families in Samoa are distraught and the recipients and the U.S. government are stonewalling!
Also lost in the smoke screen is the fact that the CBS story focused on Mike and Kari Nyberg, from outside Salt Lake City, Utah, whose adopted daughter went back to Samoa permanently! CBS was not involved in paying for the Nybergs' trip.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Sexual Abuse and Slave Trafficking: Adoptive "Family" Charged
An Oklahoma judge will decide the punishment for a family accused of abusing an adopted Liberian girl.
Andee Verlon Tyler, 51, and his wife, Penny Tyler, 46, along with their son, Ashton Malachi Tyler, 20, on Wednesday pleaded no contest and waived their right to a preliminary hearing in Major County District Court.
The two elder Tylers face felony child abuse charges for the alleged abuse of their adopted 11-year-old Liberian daughter. Ashton Tyler is accused of sexually assaulting his adopted sister and is charged with rape by instrumentation.
The Tylers’ daughter, NathaniaTyler, 21, also was accused in the case. She pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of assault and battery.
The girl [read innocent victim], now 13, has been living out of state with relatives [what relatives? others related to the beasts who perpetrated these inhuman crimes?].
Haworth declined to say if her four Liberian sisters, also adopted by the Tylers, remained in their adoptive parents’ home. [You gotta be kidding!!]
The five sisters were adopted in 2005 from a Liberian orphanage operated by the West African Children Support Network, The Oklahoman found.
Assistant DA Haworth said the outcome of the criminal case could affect a pending deprived juvenile case being battled over the girls in family court.
"Obviously, if their parents are incarcerated, something will happen to the girls,” Haworth said, adding there would be no custody change until the criminal case is resolved.
An officer with a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter claims the girl and her sisters, ranging from 5 to 15, are victims of a child slavery scam.
Angela Molette, president of the Garfield County NAACP, compiled a 28-page report and alleges the children are part of an international child trafficking operation where Americans buy children to turn into slaves.
Molette alleges the Tylers paid $30,000 to $40,000 for the children, and got financial help from their church for the adoption. [I couldn't have made this up if I tried!]
Andee Verlon Tyler, 51, and his wife, Penny Tyler, 46, along with their son, Ashton Malachi Tyler, 20, on Wednesday pleaded no contest and waived their right to a preliminary hearing in Major County District Court.
The two elder Tylers face felony child abuse charges for the alleged abuse of their adopted 11-year-old Liberian daughter. Ashton Tyler is accused of sexually assaulting his adopted sister and is charged with rape by instrumentation.
The Tylers’ daughter, NathaniaTyler, 21, also was accused in the case. She pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of assault and battery.
The girl [read innocent victim], now 13, has been living out of state with relatives [what relatives? others related to the beasts who perpetrated these inhuman crimes?].
Haworth declined to say if her four Liberian sisters, also adopted by the Tylers, remained in their adoptive parents’ home. [You gotta be kidding!!]
The five sisters were adopted in 2005 from a Liberian orphanage operated by the West African Children Support Network, The Oklahoman found.
Assistant DA Haworth said the outcome of the criminal case could affect a pending deprived juvenile case being battled over the girls in family court.
"Obviously, if their parents are incarcerated, something will happen to the girls,” Haworth said, adding there would be no custody change until the criminal case is resolved.
An officer with a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter claims the girl and her sisters, ranging from 5 to 15, are victims of a child slavery scam.
Angela Molette, president of the Garfield County NAACP, compiled a 28-page report and alleges the children are part of an international child trafficking operation where Americans buy children to turn into slaves.
Molette alleges the Tylers paid $30,000 to $40,000 for the children, and got financial help from their church for the adoption. [I couldn't have made this up if I tried!]
Biggest Adoption Scam in US History
CBS News will present, "The Lost Children," a "48 Hours" special, on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT - the culmination of a two-year investigation by "48 Hours" into one of the largest foreign adoption scams in U.S. history.
Somoan families told their children were going to a foster progran and were coming home at age 18. Fifty seven American families refuse to give up children while Flcus on Children workers are jailed.
It;s being called a scam and fraud, but what it really is is felony kidnapping.
But, as usual...the American families are portrayed as the victims!
And it's not without controversy.
Somoan families told their children were going to a foster progran and were coming home at age 18. Fifty seven American families refuse to give up children while Flcus on Children workers are jailed.
It;s being called a scam and fraud, but what it really is is felony kidnapping.
But, as usual...the American families are portrayed as the victims!
And it's not without controversy.
Hopeful News for Family Preservation!!
Just in time for the holidays, I have something hopeful to share with you thanks to Neils at Pound Puppy Legacy (PPL) who broke this story about the Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS).
On December 3, 2009, the Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS) presented to its members a proposal to change the organization. It seems, if nothing changes, JCICS will have to close is doors somewhere in the year 2010. [Let us all PRAY!!!]
The proposed plan is confidential and intended for JCICS members only, but was leaked to the internet earlier today. Since it contains interesting information about the workings of JCICS, we decided to republish it on PPL's website.
The document establishes two distinct problems JCICS is facing. First of all the trade association of adoption service providers is in dire straights and needs to seriously cut back its activities to remain financially sustainable. The document is not all that specific how financial sustainability can be achieved without eliminating their core activity "advocacy, awareness and public policy initiatives".
The second issue addressed is even more interesting. JCICS, as a trade association of adoption service providers has a credibility problem. The document states:
It seems public policy makers, the press, NGOs and the public correctly see what JCICS is, a trade association of adoption service providers. JCICS is not happy with this and in self-pity compares itself with the tobacco lobby, another victim of public misunderstanding. [An excellent comparison: both are greedy sharks who do not care how many people they hurt or kill to make a buck!]
While maintaining its status as trade association, JCICS asks its members to approve amending its bylaws to expand its board of directors with people not affiliated with adoption service providers. By being seemingly more neutral, JCICS hopes to gain more influence with public policy makers and NGOs like Unicef and Save the Children.
JCICS also seeks to expand its advocacy efforts in other directions than inter-country adoption, such as family preservation, national adoption, guardianship and kinship care. This expansion seems to be more an obfuscation tactic than a real effort, since inter-country adoption remains the focal point of JCICS.
It would be nice if the outcome of this stake holder initiative will also be leaked. After all it is in the public interest to know how theseadvocacy groups trade associations operate.
Joint Council works to ensure that orphaned and vulnerable children can live, grow, and flourish in a family. Advocating for high standards, ethical practices, and child-centric policies, Joint Council educates governments, professionals and families all with a goal of finding a safe, permanent, and loving family for every child.
Joint Council on International Childrens Services - Stakeholder initiative
The proposed plan is confidential and intended for JCICS members only, but was leaked to the internet earlier today. Since it contains interesting information about the workings of JCICS, we decided to republish it on PPL's website.
The document establishes two distinct problems JCICS is facing. First of all the trade association of adoption service providers is in dire straights and needs to seriously cut back its activities to remain financially sustainable. The document is not all that specific how financial sustainability can be achieved without eliminating their core activity "advocacy, awareness and public policy initiatives".
The second issue addressed is even more interesting. JCICS, as a trade association of adoption service providers has a credibility problem. The document states:
Joint Council is seen by many public policy makers, the press, NGOs and the public as:
- Serving the self-interest of Adoption Service Providers
- Not having Adoption Service Providers of the highest quality, ethics or standards
- Having an inherent conflict of interest
- Protecting individual Adoption Service Providers
- A trade organization, rather than an objective advocate
While maintaining its status as trade association, JCICS asks its members to approve amending its bylaws to expand its board of directors with people not affiliated with adoption service providers. By being seemingly more neutral, JCICS hopes to gain more influence with public policy makers and NGOs like Unicef and Save the Children.
JCICS also seeks to expand its advocacy efforts in other directions than inter-country adoption, such as family preservation, national adoption, guardianship and kinship care. This expansion seems to be more an obfuscation tactic than a real effort, since inter-country adoption remains the focal point of JCICS.
It would be nice if the outcome of this stake holder initiative will also be leaked. After all it is in the public interest to know how these
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Fraud and Kidnapping Casts a Cloud on Guatemalan Adoptions
Due to requests and discovering I hold copyrights, the following is the text of the Adoption Today, Dec 2009 article:
Fraud and Kidnapping Casts a Cloud on Guatemalan Adoptions
by Mirah Riben
Imagine your child is brutally kidnapped, stolen right out of your arms. The police believe an international ring of baby brokers and child traffickers are involved and allow you to view passport photos of children headed for adoption out of the country. You positively identify your child. Would you not expect a thorough follow up investigation into this felony kidnapping; an international investigation; amber alerts and hotlines created. Would you not anticipate a media frenzy and public outcry resulting in the traffickers apprehended? The trial would be an international public spectacle and the child, off course, returned to the mother immediately, no questions asked, under great fanfare of justice being served.
Would you not expect as much attention as is being given to any other kidnapping – domestic or international? Our government has in fact done everything possible to help Michael McCarty and David Goldman, two fathers whose children were taken out of the country by the boys’ mothers. U.S. media is sympathetic to the American parents’ plight and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., was so concerned he suggested legislation to require better tracking of international custody cases, spelling out what the U.S. could do to countries that fail to cooperate in resolving custody disputes.
Yes, if your American child is taken to another country, our government uses every diplomatic channel as well as law enforcement avenues. But what happens when it’s reversed?
Guatemala: Violence and Impunity
Guatemala is a dangerous place, especially for women. Violence against women is rampant. It begins with a culture of machismo and is complicated by police corruption, failure to investigate, victim blaming, and impunity. Women are kidnapped, raped and murdered simply because they are females; their murders far more gruesome than the drug trafficking killings men are subjected to. The problem is so serious that the US Congress passed a resolution declaring that femicide – gender based acts to keep women in line – is a form of terrorism that underscores the powerlessness of women in places like Guatemala to safely walk the streets or parent their children.
Last year approximately 722 Guatemalan women were murdered and the numbers appear to be higher for this year. Women are tortured, mutilated, dismembered, wrapped in barbed wire and decapitated. Body parts have been strewn indifferent parts of the city in occasion, as a message. Many women are killed after reporting their partners for domestic violence. The violence has been documented by BBC on a film entitled “Killer’s Paradise”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy-2L72S-4Y.
As an advocate for the rights of mothers and their children I was part of a recent Human Rights Delegation, “Violence Against Women: and the socio-political context of femicide in Guatemala” sponsored by the Guatemala Human Rights Commission of Washington, D.C. During this delegation we heard testimonies of victims and advocates, such as meeting first hand with Gladys Monterrtoso and Rosa Franco whose 15 year old daughter was senselessly murdered.
Guatemala has a long history of war, unstable corrupt government and kidnapping as a manifestation of the violence aimed at women. This September the Guatemalan army finally admitted to kidnapping and selling hundreds of children in international adoptions from 1977 to 1989. But these crimes did not end in 1989 or in 1999.
Babies have continued to be snatched from their mothers at gunpoint or after being drugged. Dozens of mothers reported stolen babies and at least two were found in orphanages, having not yet been put up for adoption. Upon reporting the crimes there is disbelief and mothers such as Olga Lopez, Raquel Par and Loyda Rodriguez who come forward are often accused of selling their babies for adoption rather than having been victims of a crime.
Raquel Par Raquel hasn’t seen her daughter Heidy Sarai Betz Par for almost 3 1/2 years. Eleven month old Heidy was kidnapped April 4, 2006 on a bus in Guatemala City. Heidy is now 4 years old and believed to be living in Iowa.
Loyda Rodriguez’ has been without her daughter, Angeli Lisseth Hernandez Rodriguez, since she kidnapped November 3, 2006 from her front yard in Villa Hermosa, San Miguel Petapa, Guatemala City. Angeli is believed to now be in Missouri.
It has also been three years since Olga Lopez saw her daughter, Arlene Escarleth Lopez who at six months of age was kidnapped from Olga's mother in Guatemala City September 27, 2006. Arlene is believed to be living in Illinois.
These three women refused to give up. They pursued and, believing their children were taken as part of the systematic child trafficking for adoption so prevalent in Guatemala, they were allowed to view passport photos. Each woman positively recognized their child as having been adopted and living in the U.S.
Their stories are included in an in depth documentary on widespread abductions and trafficking for adoption in Guatemala. The report which is available on video at: http://www.tinyurl.com/whyguat explains how DNA reports and photos are phonied and birth certificates forged. It also depicts how the mothers identified their children upon being allowed to view passport photos.
Women Helping Women
The delegation met with leaders in the Guatemalan women’s movement including organizers, lawyers, survivors, and family members and we learned how women are empowering women in rural areas working for both immediate security precautions and long-term systemic change in Guatemala. We explored the wider socioeconomic and political contexts in which gender-based violence takes place, learned about the country’s complex history and ongoing efforts to end impunity, heard from leaders in the human rights movement about their work, and met with government officials charged with monitoring human rights.
Of particular interest was visiting Foundacion Sobrevivientes (Survivors Foundation) directed by Norma Cruz, a recipient of the U.S. Secretary of State's 2009 International Women of Courage Award. Cruz and her organization helped organize two hunger protests – one lasting ten days – for the Guatemalan mothers whose children were kidnapped and trafficked for international adoption. While we did not get to meet Norma, we were addressed at her offices by her daughter, Claudia Maria Hernandez to whom I presented a shirt inscribed “Hermandad y Solidaridad” (see photo).
Claudia told us that the foundation is not against adoption in Guatemala due to the nation’s extreme problems, including children being left orphaned after their mothers fall victim to femicide. But the foundation, said Claudia, is “against the business of taking children for profit and exporting them....Children need a mother not to be sold for dollars" as part of the violence against women.
Another organization that helps victims of violence – domestic and otherwise – receive psychological counseling and medical testing is Nuevo Horizonte (New Horizons) in Quetzaltenango. Hoping to build more shelters, they currently have one that temporarily houses 12 families at a time, and they provide day care. Maria Bartes, a social worker, told us while we visited, that it is "very common for abusive husbands to force women to accept payments by baby brokers. Many such women come seeking help, even if they are not being abused. Very common."
We visited the Myrna Mack Foundation, established by Helen Mack in memory of her murdered sister, Myrna, an archeologist studying immigration patters of displaced indigenous peoples. A representative of the foundation volunteered that women are "raped to produce children for trafficking in adoption." These insights into the coercion and the use of force to secure relinquishment signatures is further evidence of the corruption that became inherent in Guatemala’s adoption system prior to its shutdown.
We visited two midwifery centers (ACAM in Concepcion Ciquirichapa and CODECOT in Quetzalatenango). We learned that 80% of Guatemalan births are attended by midwives outside of hospitals, primarily because of fear of authority. Despite the reports of forged birth certificates and rape victims, Elena Ixcot, a midwife who had been in exile in New England for 25 years and there met American adoptive parents – told us that they knew of no adoptions in their municipality, a claim reminiscent of colleges who claim no rapes on their campuses. With at least 30,000 adoptions originating from Guatemala since the year 2000, it is impossible for this community to not have been touched by intercountry adoption.
Carolina Alvarado is Project Coordinator for Women's "Programa Tabita Levantate” (Tabitha Arise) and Assistant Director of Presbiterio Kaqchikel, which provides abused women and sexoservidoras (sex workers) psychological, medical and legal help. Alvarado told us that in the previous month there had been an accusation of an “improper adoption.” Women, she said "are victims of trickery. They tell her someone will care for her child while she is working and steal her child." She also told of a grandmother whose new husband saw her grandbaby as a source of income. The baby had been reportedly conceived by a 17 year old girl who herself was made to work as a sex worker.
A Special Day
I extended my stay to visit Amor del Nino: Love the Child, a group home run by Americans, Stephen and Shyrel Osborn who were called by God to perform this mission. The home is bright and sunny and the children very well cared for as attested to by the happy faces of the children, newborn to age 13. Shyrel had joined Olga, Raquel and Loyda, the three victimized mothers in their hunger strike, losing fifteen pounds.
Amor del Nino houses some 48 children, many disabled, all of whom were taken by court order or abandoned. Steve informs: "a number of children who were abandoned at birth, and are available [for domestic adoption]. I think the number is close to 20 at present, who are or will be declared adoptable." Steve blogs at Steve's Ramblings < http://steve-amordelnino.blogspot.com/> where he commented on those who had been hoping to adopt when Guatemala stopped its international program:
"My heart breaks for these [prospective adoptive] parents, even as I wish they hadn't started the process. The State Department, and honest people in the adoption community had warned against initiating adoptions from Guatemala as early as 2006. But the potential parents were hearing different stories. The adoption agencies as late as the fall of 2007 were still saying these children would die if not adopted. When your heart is inclined to adopt, choosing which of the conflicting reports to believe ….is a heart issue, not a brain issue. The only problem is that the conflicting reports on one side were conscientious attempts to protect these hearts. The other, a shameless attempt to profit from the desire of these hearts. And a lie."
Proof of Fraud
Following our visit to the children's home, Steve and Shyrel joined us as we met with Jennifer Hemsley who had been in Guatemala briefly still trying to untangle the bizarre web of lies and fraudulent DNA results and photos she found herself in when trying to adopt her second daughter, Hazel. The Hemsleys, whose story was reported in USA Today, have become an avid advocate organizing an international fast in support of Olga, Raquel and Loyda at threedaysforthreedaughters.typepad.com.
The trip to Amor del Ninos and this meeting had been arranged by Karen Rotabi, Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. An American psychologist and researcher who wishes not to be named as a safety precaution was also present, and we were joined via teleconference by David Smolin, expert on child trafficking and laundering for adoption. For more information about Dr. Rotabi’s work in Guatemala, see her analysis of the fraud links in the old system at http://www.socmag.net/?tag=adoption.
We were shown, first hand, the DNA test reports and photos that are used to obtain visas for Guatemalan inter-country adoptions and learned how the fraudulent adoptions occurred. The form requires all fields are completed, yet on all the ones we viewed ¬– about half a dozen – the field for mother's ID was left blank though all Guatemalans carry official ID cards called a Cedula. No one leaves home without it, yet none of the forms had ID numbers on them and the U.S. Embassy appears to have issued visas for the children based on this obviously incomplete if not fraudulent paper work. The US Embassy’s complicity is an area yet to be explored.
Additional proof was meeting Ana Escobar and her daughter, Esther who had been kidnapped at gunpoint when she was six months old in March of 2007 after the gunmen locked Ana in a storage closet at the family's shoe store where she worked. (Photo above is of Ana Escobar and her daughter Esther taken when I was in Guatemala.)
In her pursuit of her daughter and attempts to get the government to intervene and track down her baby's abductors, Ana was allowed to view baby's "in the pipeline" priot to being sent to the U.S. for adopton. While there, at the Solicitor Generals' office, Ana spotted her daughter who had not yet been sent for her planned adoption by an American family. Ana was able to identify Esther by a bent pinky finger.
Jaime Tecu, director of a team of experts reviewing all pending Guatemalan adoptions, speaking about the Escobar case told the Associated Press: "This is the first time that we've been able to show, with irrefutable evidence, that a stolen child was put up for adoption." Tecu said officials will investigate the lawyers who handled the adoption, the doctor who signed the falsified DNA tests, and anyone else associated with the process.
The mother and child photo attached to the DNA test of Ana's daughter was Esther ¬– but the mother in the photo was not Esther’s mother, Ana. It was an anonymous stand-in in the photo. "This was run by a mafia, and we going after them," according to Tecu. The DNA tests are accepted as accurate as long as they set of mother and child are a match and may have been that of the mother in the photo and child of hers, or any parent and child.
Ana’s case was instrumental in Guatemala freezing 2,286 pending adoptions and officials are reviewing each case to confirm there is no fraud. How many children were issued visas and placed for adoption into this country and other countries based on fraudulent papers and photos? Perhaps as many as a thousand. Seven such babies have been recovered.
A Most Poignant Question
Seeing Esther is the arms of her mother, Ana, where she so obviously belongs – where she was always wanted – is an image I will not soon forget. Yet more poignant still was a question Ana posed that still echoes hauntingly in my ears.
"Why" asked Ana in true bewilderment, "do Americans want our Guatemalan babies so much?"
It was explained to Ana that many believe that adoption, in Guatemala and elsewhere, rescues children with no other options. E, J. Graff’s “The Lie we Love”, “The Red Thread or Slender Reed: Deconstructing Prof. Bartholet's Mythology of International Adoption” by Johanna Oreskovic, Trish Maskew and the works of David Smolin debunk the myths of orphans in need worldwide, 90% of whom have family and are ineligible for adoption. These proven cases of kidnapping and the persistence of victim blaming in Guatemala cause us to rethink the allegations that Guatemalan women often sell their babies because of their poverty.
In light of very blatant fraud, such as incomplete paperwork and photos of women who are not mothers, we need to replace these myths with the obvious and sad fact that the children most in need are left behind in orphanages worldwide, as they are here in foster care, while baby brokers fill a demand for healthy babies through felony kidnapping of wanted and cared for children.
When we hear the myths and feel the tugging at our heart, we need to look at the source of the orphans-needing-rescue tales and the source is always those who are profiting or U.S. adoption agencies who depend on adoptions to remain in business, those who represent them, market or lobby for them, or those who have come to believe their lies and/or justify their own participation – albeit unknowingly – in this seamy process.
Facing the truths of the past seven years is not a condemnation of any who have unwittingly been recipients of Guatemalan children. It is sad indeed, that these kidnappings cast a shadow over many adoptions from Guatemala, causing adopters and their children to grow up with doubts about their need to have been adopted. Were they kidnapped – grabbed out of the arms of loving mothers who had no intention whatsoever of letting them go? Were they sold by other family members? Were their mothers lied to and told they were going to be schooled and returned?
David Smolin, who with his wife unintentionally adopted two children from India who were stolen from their mother, believes that the best course of action for the three families identified as housing the possibly kidnapped children of Olga Lopez, Raquel Par and Loyda Rodriguez – and any others who adopted from Guatemala within the past seven years – is to voluntarily have their children DNA tested to positively deny or confirm once and for all whether a serious crime has occurred and lift all suspicions and doubt.
The Attorney General of Guatemala, Jose Amilcar Velasquez Zarate, however, prefers not to wait for voluntary action. He requested in February 2009 that the U.S. Dept of Justice secure DNA samples of these alleged kidnap victims. The U.S. has not as yet complied despite a seeming obligation to assist in the investigation of these alleged crimes as per its 2001 ratification of the 1992 InterAmerican Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/Sigs/a-55.html.
Post Script
After returning home I joined many around the world in a three day fast of solidarity for the three mothers and their three kidnapped daughters.
Additionally, I have been informed that it has been publicized that new DNA tests confirm that kidnapped and US-adopted Anyeli is in fact the daughter of Loyda Rodriguez Hernandez, who reported her daughter's abduction in 2006, adding yet more credibility to all the allegations.
Far sadder to report is that Norma Cruz has experienced new threats against her and her family, and Ana Escobar is in hiding after the murder of a member of her family.
And still, as of this writing, the U.S. government has done nothing.
Fraud and Kidnapping Casts a Cloud on Guatemalan Adoptions
by Mirah Riben
Imagine your child is brutally kidnapped, stolen right out of your arms. The police believe an international ring of baby brokers and child traffickers are involved and allow you to view passport photos of children headed for adoption out of the country. You positively identify your child. Would you not expect a thorough follow up investigation into this felony kidnapping; an international investigation; amber alerts and hotlines created. Would you not anticipate a media frenzy and public outcry resulting in the traffickers apprehended? The trial would be an international public spectacle and the child, off course, returned to the mother immediately, no questions asked, under great fanfare of justice being served.
Would you not expect as much attention as is being given to any other kidnapping – domestic or international? Our government has in fact done everything possible to help Michael McCarty and David Goldman, two fathers whose children were taken out of the country by the boys’ mothers. U.S. media is sympathetic to the American parents’ plight and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., was so concerned he suggested legislation to require better tracking of international custody cases, spelling out what the U.S. could do to countries that fail to cooperate in resolving custody disputes.
Yes, if your American child is taken to another country, our government uses every diplomatic channel as well as law enforcement avenues. But what happens when it’s reversed?
Guatemala: Violence and Impunity
Guatemala is a dangerous place, especially for women. Violence against women is rampant. It begins with a culture of machismo and is complicated by police corruption, failure to investigate, victim blaming, and impunity. Women are kidnapped, raped and murdered simply because they are females; their murders far more gruesome than the drug trafficking killings men are subjected to. The problem is so serious that the US Congress passed a resolution declaring that femicide – gender based acts to keep women in line – is a form of terrorism that underscores the powerlessness of women in places like Guatemala to safely walk the streets or parent their children.
Last year approximately 722 Guatemalan women were murdered and the numbers appear to be higher for this year. Women are tortured, mutilated, dismembered, wrapped in barbed wire and decapitated. Body parts have been strewn indifferent parts of the city in occasion, as a message. Many women are killed after reporting their partners for domestic violence. The violence has been documented by BBC on a film entitled “Killer’s Paradise”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy-2L72S-4Y.
As an advocate for the rights of mothers and their children I was part of a recent Human Rights Delegation, “Violence Against Women: and the socio-political context of femicide in Guatemala” sponsored by the Guatemala Human Rights Commission of Washington, D.C. During this delegation we heard testimonies of victims and advocates, such as meeting first hand with Gladys Monterrtoso and Rosa Franco whose 15 year old daughter was senselessly murdered.
Guatemala has a long history of war, unstable corrupt government and kidnapping as a manifestation of the violence aimed at women. This September the Guatemalan army finally admitted to kidnapping and selling hundreds of children in international adoptions from 1977 to 1989. But these crimes did not end in 1989 or in 1999.
Babies have continued to be snatched from their mothers at gunpoint or after being drugged. Dozens of mothers reported stolen babies and at least two were found in orphanages, having not yet been put up for adoption. Upon reporting the crimes there is disbelief and mothers such as Olga Lopez, Raquel Par and Loyda Rodriguez who come forward are often accused of selling their babies for adoption rather than having been victims of a crime.
Raquel Par Raquel hasn’t seen her daughter Heidy Sarai Betz Par for almost 3 1/2 years. Eleven month old Heidy was kidnapped April 4, 2006 on a bus in Guatemala City. Heidy is now 4 years old and believed to be living in Iowa.
Loyda Rodriguez’ has been without her daughter, Angeli Lisseth Hernandez Rodriguez, since she kidnapped November 3, 2006 from her front yard in Villa Hermosa, San Miguel Petapa, Guatemala City. Angeli is believed to now be in Missouri.
It has also been three years since Olga Lopez saw her daughter, Arlene Escarleth Lopez who at six months of age was kidnapped from Olga's mother in Guatemala City September 27, 2006. Arlene is believed to be living in Illinois.
These three women refused to give up. They pursued and, believing their children were taken as part of the systematic child trafficking for adoption so prevalent in Guatemala, they were allowed to view passport photos. Each woman positively recognized their child as having been adopted and living in the U.S.
Their stories are included in an in depth documentary on widespread abductions and trafficking for adoption in Guatemala. The report which is available on video at: http://www.tinyurl.com/whyguat explains how DNA reports and photos are phonied and birth certificates forged. It also depicts how the mothers identified their children upon being allowed to view passport photos.
Women Helping Women
The delegation met with leaders in the Guatemalan women’s movement including organizers, lawyers, survivors, and family members and we learned how women are empowering women in rural areas working for both immediate security precautions and long-term systemic change in Guatemala. We explored the wider socioeconomic and political contexts in which gender-based violence takes place, learned about the country’s complex history and ongoing efforts to end impunity, heard from leaders in the human rights movement about their work, and met with government officials charged with monitoring human rights.
Of particular interest was visiting Foundacion Sobrevivientes (Survivors Foundation) directed by Norma Cruz, a recipient of the U.S. Secretary of State's 2009 International Women of Courage Award. Cruz and her organization helped organize two hunger protests – one lasting ten days – for the Guatemalan mothers whose children were kidnapped and trafficked for international adoption. While we did not get to meet Norma, we were addressed at her offices by her daughter, Claudia Maria Hernandez to whom I presented a shirt inscribed “Hermandad y Solidaridad” (see photo).
Claudia told us that the foundation is not against adoption in Guatemala due to the nation’s extreme problems, including children being left orphaned after their mothers fall victim to femicide. But the foundation, said Claudia, is “against the business of taking children for profit and exporting them....Children need a mother not to be sold for dollars" as part of the violence against women.
Another organization that helps victims of violence – domestic and otherwise – receive psychological counseling and medical testing is Nuevo Horizonte (New Horizons) in Quetzaltenango. Hoping to build more shelters, they currently have one that temporarily houses 12 families at a time, and they provide day care. Maria Bartes, a social worker, told us while we visited, that it is "very common for abusive husbands to force women to accept payments by baby brokers. Many such women come seeking help, even if they are not being abused. Very common."
We visited the Myrna Mack Foundation, established by Helen Mack in memory of her murdered sister, Myrna, an archeologist studying immigration patters of displaced indigenous peoples. A representative of the foundation volunteered that women are "raped to produce children for trafficking in adoption." These insights into the coercion and the use of force to secure relinquishment signatures is further evidence of the corruption that became inherent in Guatemala’s adoption system prior to its shutdown.
We visited two midwifery centers (ACAM in Concepcion Ciquirichapa and CODECOT in Quetzalatenango). We learned that 80% of Guatemalan births are attended by midwives outside of hospitals, primarily because of fear of authority. Despite the reports of forged birth certificates and rape victims, Elena Ixcot, a midwife who had been in exile in New England for 25 years and there met American adoptive parents – told us that they knew of no adoptions in their municipality, a claim reminiscent of colleges who claim no rapes on their campuses. With at least 30,000 adoptions originating from Guatemala since the year 2000, it is impossible for this community to not have been touched by intercountry adoption.
Carolina Alvarado is Project Coordinator for Women's "Programa Tabita Levantate” (Tabitha Arise) and Assistant Director of Presbiterio Kaqchikel, which provides abused women and sexoservidoras (sex workers) psychological, medical and legal help. Alvarado told us that in the previous month there had been an accusation of an “improper adoption.” Women, she said "are victims of trickery. They tell her someone will care for her child while she is working and steal her child." She also told of a grandmother whose new husband saw her grandbaby as a source of income. The baby had been reportedly conceived by a 17 year old girl who herself was made to work as a sex worker.
A Special Day
I extended my stay to visit Amor del Nino: Love the Child, a group home run by Americans, Stephen and Shyrel Osborn who were called by God to perform this mission. The home is bright and sunny and the children very well cared for as attested to by the happy faces of the children, newborn to age 13. Shyrel had joined Olga, Raquel and Loyda, the three victimized mothers in their hunger strike, losing fifteen pounds.
Amor del Nino houses some 48 children, many disabled, all of whom were taken by court order or abandoned. Steve informs: "a number of children who were abandoned at birth, and are available [for domestic adoption]. I think the number is close to 20 at present, who are or will be declared adoptable." Steve blogs at Steve's Ramblings < http://steve-amordelnino.blogspot.com/> where he commented on those who had been hoping to adopt when Guatemala stopped its international program:
"My heart breaks for these [prospective adoptive] parents, even as I wish they hadn't started the process. The State Department, and honest people in the adoption community had warned against initiating adoptions from Guatemala as early as 2006. But the potential parents were hearing different stories. The adoption agencies as late as the fall of 2007 were still saying these children would die if not adopted. When your heart is inclined to adopt, choosing which of the conflicting reports to believe ….is a heart issue, not a brain issue. The only problem is that the conflicting reports on one side were conscientious attempts to protect these hearts. The other, a shameless attempt to profit from the desire of these hearts. And a lie."
Proof of Fraud
Following our visit to the children's home, Steve and Shyrel joined us as we met with Jennifer Hemsley who had been in Guatemala briefly still trying to untangle the bizarre web of lies and fraudulent DNA results and photos she found herself in when trying to adopt her second daughter, Hazel. The Hemsleys, whose story was reported in USA Today, have become an avid advocate organizing an international fast in support of Olga, Raquel and Loyda at threedaysforthreedaughters.typepad.com.
The trip to Amor del Ninos and this meeting had been arranged by Karen Rotabi, Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. An American psychologist and researcher who wishes not to be named as a safety precaution was also present, and we were joined via teleconference by David Smolin, expert on child trafficking and laundering for adoption. For more information about Dr. Rotabi’s work in Guatemala, see her analysis of the fraud links in the old system at http://www.socmag.net/?tag=adoption.
We were shown, first hand, the DNA test reports and photos that are used to obtain visas for Guatemalan inter-country adoptions and learned how the fraudulent adoptions occurred. The form requires all fields are completed, yet on all the ones we viewed ¬– about half a dozen – the field for mother's ID was left blank though all Guatemalans carry official ID cards called a Cedula. No one leaves home without it, yet none of the forms had ID numbers on them and the U.S. Embassy appears to have issued visas for the children based on this obviously incomplete if not fraudulent paper work. The US Embassy’s complicity is an area yet to be explored.
In her pursuit of her daughter and attempts to get the government to intervene and track down her baby's abductors, Ana was allowed to view baby's "in the pipeline" priot to being sent to the U.S. for adopton. While there, at the Solicitor Generals' office, Ana spotted her daughter who had not yet been sent for her planned adoption by an American family. Ana was able to identify Esther by a bent pinky finger.
Jaime Tecu, director of a team of experts reviewing all pending Guatemalan adoptions, speaking about the Escobar case told the Associated Press: "This is the first time that we've been able to show, with irrefutable evidence, that a stolen child was put up for adoption." Tecu said officials will investigate the lawyers who handled the adoption, the doctor who signed the falsified DNA tests, and anyone else associated with the process.
The mother and child photo attached to the DNA test of Ana's daughter was Esther ¬– but the mother in the photo was not Esther’s mother, Ana. It was an anonymous stand-in in the photo. "This was run by a mafia, and we going after them," according to Tecu. The DNA tests are accepted as accurate as long as they set of mother and child are a match and may have been that of the mother in the photo and child of hers, or any parent and child.
Ana’s case was instrumental in Guatemala freezing 2,286 pending adoptions and officials are reviewing each case to confirm there is no fraud. How many children were issued visas and placed for adoption into this country and other countries based on fraudulent papers and photos? Perhaps as many as a thousand. Seven such babies have been recovered.
A Most Poignant Question
Seeing Esther is the arms of her mother, Ana, where she so obviously belongs – where she was always wanted – is an image I will not soon forget. Yet more poignant still was a question Ana posed that still echoes hauntingly in my ears.
"Why" asked Ana in true bewilderment, "do Americans want our Guatemalan babies so much?"
It was explained to Ana that many believe that adoption, in Guatemala and elsewhere, rescues children with no other options. E, J. Graff’s “The Lie we Love”, “The Red Thread or Slender Reed: Deconstructing Prof. Bartholet's Mythology of International Adoption” by Johanna Oreskovic, Trish Maskew and the works of David Smolin debunk the myths of orphans in need worldwide, 90% of whom have family and are ineligible for adoption. These proven cases of kidnapping and the persistence of victim blaming in Guatemala cause us to rethink the allegations that Guatemalan women often sell their babies because of their poverty.
In light of very blatant fraud, such as incomplete paperwork and photos of women who are not mothers, we need to replace these myths with the obvious and sad fact that the children most in need are left behind in orphanages worldwide, as they are here in foster care, while baby brokers fill a demand for healthy babies through felony kidnapping of wanted and cared for children.
When we hear the myths and feel the tugging at our heart, we need to look at the source of the orphans-needing-rescue tales and the source is always those who are profiting or U.S. adoption agencies who depend on adoptions to remain in business, those who represent them, market or lobby for them, or those who have come to believe their lies and/or justify their own participation – albeit unknowingly – in this seamy process.
Facing the truths of the past seven years is not a condemnation of any who have unwittingly been recipients of Guatemalan children. It is sad indeed, that these kidnappings cast a shadow over many adoptions from Guatemala, causing adopters and their children to grow up with doubts about their need to have been adopted. Were they kidnapped – grabbed out of the arms of loving mothers who had no intention whatsoever of letting them go? Were they sold by other family members? Were their mothers lied to and told they were going to be schooled and returned?
David Smolin, who with his wife unintentionally adopted two children from India who were stolen from their mother, believes that the best course of action for the three families identified as housing the possibly kidnapped children of Olga Lopez, Raquel Par and Loyda Rodriguez – and any others who adopted from Guatemala within the past seven years – is to voluntarily have their children DNA tested to positively deny or confirm once and for all whether a serious crime has occurred and lift all suspicions and doubt.
The Attorney General of Guatemala, Jose Amilcar Velasquez Zarate, however, prefers not to wait for voluntary action. He requested in February 2009 that the U.S. Dept of Justice secure DNA samples of these alleged kidnap victims. The U.S. has not as yet complied despite a seeming obligation to assist in the investigation of these alleged crimes as per its 2001 ratification of the 1992 InterAmerican Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/Sigs/a-55.html.
Post Script
After returning home I joined many around the world in a three day fast of solidarity for the three mothers and their three kidnapped daughters.
Additionally, I have been informed that it has been publicized that new DNA tests confirm that kidnapped and US-adopted Anyeli is in fact the daughter of Loyda Rodriguez Hernandez, who reported her daughter's abduction in 2006, adding yet more credibility to all the allegations.
Far sadder to report is that Norma Cruz has experienced new threats against her and her family, and Ana Escobar is in hiding after the murder of a member of her family.
And still, as of this writing, the U.S. government has done nothing.
Proposed Anti-Family Legislation
The National Council for Adoption (NCFA), The American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (AAAA), the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), the Joint Council on International Children's Services, Voice for Adoption, and Child Trends have together persuaded legislators to support the following sample of pro-adoption bills in the 111th congress, many of which directly attack the sanctity of natural family connections.
Note how many times "abortion prevention" is stated or inferred. Also noted are ACTIONS that we can take.
S. 324,
Melanie Blocker Stokes Mom's Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression Act' or the `Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.
See also H.R. 20. Sen. Robert Menendez, NJ A bill to provide for research on, and services for individuals with, postpartum depression and psychosis. Introduced 1/26/2009. Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 7 cosponsors.
[NOTE: The sponsors of this bill need to be made aware of the LIFELONG depression that results from losing a child to adoption.]
S. 354,
The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009.
See also H.R. 626. Sen. Jim Webb, VA To provide that 4 of the 12 weeks of parental leave made available to a Federal employee may be paid leave, including for an adoption placement. Introduced 1/29/2009. Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. 17 cosponsors.
S. 410,
The Resource Family Recruitment and Retention Act of 2009.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, AR A bill to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to ensure States follow best policies and practices for supporting and retaining foster parents and to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States to improve the empowerment, leadership, support, training, recruitment, and retention of foster care, kinship care, and adoptive parents. Introduced 2/11/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 10 cosponsors.
S.722,
The Taxpayer Certainty and Relief Act of 2009.
Sen. Max Baucus, MT A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for permanent alternative minimum tax relief, middle class tax relief, and estate tax relief, and to permanently extend certain expiring provision, including the adoption tax credit. Introduced 3/26/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 2 cosponsors.
What about "certainty" and "relief" for families in crisis?
NOTE that this bill INCLUDES PROVISIONS MAKING THE ADOPTION EXPNSE TAX CREDIT AND THE EXCLUSION-FROM-INCOME FOR ADOPTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM PROGRAMS PERMANANT!
S. 735,
Protecting Incentives for the Adoption of Children with Special Needs Act of 2009.
See also H.R. 1840.
Sen. Max Baucus, MT A bill to ensure States receive adoption incentive payments for fiscal year 2008 in accordance with the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. Introduced 3/30/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 1 cosponsor. Passed the Senate 4/2/2009; passed the House 4/29/2009. Became PL 111-20 on 5/20/2009.
This bill needs to be reviewed. While ii uses "special needs" in the title, are the funds limited to that use?
S. 938,
The White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010 Act.
See also H.R. 618. Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA To require the President to call a White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010. Introduced 4/30/2009. Referred to the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee. 11 cosponsors.
Something to keep a sharp eye on!
S. 939,
The Protecting Adoption and Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Act of 2009. Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA To establish national and State putative father registries, to make grants to States to promote permanent families for children and responsible fatherhood, and for other purposes. Introduced 4/30/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 0 cosponsors.
NOTE: This bill is to CREATE A NATIONAL DATABASE OF STATE PUTATIVE FATHER REGISTRIES. It has "strong support" from AAAA and NCFA.
S. 986,
Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2009.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA A bill to support the establishment or expansion and operation of programs using a network of public and private community entities to provide mentoring for children in foster care. Introduced 5/6/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 2 cosponsors.
S. 1032,
The Pregnant Women Support Act.
Also see H.R. 2035. Sen. Robert Casey, PA To provide for programs that reduce abortions, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents. Introduced 5/13/2009. Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. 1 cosponsor.
This is newspeak for increasing adoptions.
S. 1286,
The Keeping Families Safe Act. Sen. John D. Rockefeller, IV, WV To eliminate the requirement that, to be eligible for foster care maintenance payments, a child would have been eligible for aid under the former program of Aid to Families with Dependent Children at the time of removal from the home. Introduced 6/18/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 0 cosponsors.
S. 1359,
Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act or the `FACE Act.'
Also see H.R. 3110. Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA
A bill to provide United States citizenship for children adopted from outside the United States, and for other purposes. Introduced 6/25/2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. 1 cosponsor.
S. 1376 Sen. Amy Klobuchar, MN A bill to restore immunization and sibling age exemptions for children adopted by United States citizens under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption to allow their admission to the United States. Introduced 6/25/2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. 4 cosponsors.
S. 1458,
The Families for Orphans Act.
See also H.R. 3070. Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA To encourage the development and implementation of a comprehensive, global strategy for the preservation and reunification of families and the provision of permanent parental care for orphans, and for other purposes. Introduced 7/16/2009. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. 1 cosponsor.
H.R. 2,
The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.
Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ-6 To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to extend and improve the Children's Health Insurance Program, including provisions that affect adopted children. Introduced 1/13/2009. Referred to the House Energy and Commerce, House Ways and Means, and House Education and Labor Committees. 43 cosponsors. Became PL 111-3 on 2/4/2009.
Note that it does not cover children with medical and other special needs who remain within their families,
H.R. 20, The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.
Also see S. 324. Rep. Bobby Rush, IL-1 To provide for research on, and services for individuals with, postpartum depression and psychosis. Introduced 1/6/2009. Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. 15 cosponsors. Passed the House 3/30/2009. H. Rpt 111-48.
Will this include help for post adoption epression and PTSD?
H.R. 213,
The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009.
Rep. Joe Wilson, SC-2 To repeal the sunset of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 with respect to the expansion of the adoption credit and adoption assistance programs. Introduced 1/6/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. 94 cosponsors.
H.R. 221,
The Adoption Information Act.
Rep. Robert Wittman, VA-1 To require assurances that certain family planning service projects and programs will provide pamphlets containing the contact information of adoption centers. Introduced 1/6/2009. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 0 cosponsors.
NOTE: All the efforts to "reduce abortions" and provide adoption information.
H.R. 605,
The Pregnant Women Support Act.
Rep. Lincoln Davis, TN-4 To provide for programs that reduce the need for abortion, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents, including expanding and making refundable the adoption tax credit. Introduced 1/16/2009. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and others. 6 cosponsors.
What is the "refundable adoption tax credit?" I will be seeking an answer.
H.R. 618,
The White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010 Act. See also S. 938.
Rep. Chaka Fattah, PA-2 To require the President to call a White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010. Introduced 1/21/2009. Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor. 49 cosponsors.
H.R. 626,
The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009.
See also S. 354. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, NY-14 To provide that 4 of the 12 weeks of parental leave made available to a Federal employee may be paid leave, including for an adoption placement. Introduced 1/22/2009. Referred to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. 55 cosponsors. 6/4/2009 passed House. House Rpt. 111-116, part 1.
H.R. 636,
The Positive Alternatives Act. Rep. Michele Bachmann, MN-6 To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to allow funds provided under the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families to be used for alternative-to-abortion services, including adoption counseling. Introduced 1/22/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. 31 cosponsors.
H.R. 643,
The Care for Life Act of 2009. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, NE-1 To encourage and assist women to carry their children to live birth by providing services, during and after pregnancy, that will alleviate the financial, social, emotional, and other difficulties that may otherwise lead to abortion. It also expands and makes refundable the adoption tax credit. Introduced 1/22/2009. Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and others.1 cosponsor.
H.R. 1105,
The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009.
Rep. David Obey, WI-7 Making omnibus appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, including for the Adoption Assistance, Awareness, Opportunities, and Incentive programs. Introduced 2/2/3/2009. Referred to the House Appropriation and Budget Committees. Became PL 111-8 on 3/11/2009.
H.R. 1505,
The Birth Parent Assistance Act. Rep. Jean Schmidt, OH-2 To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide services for birth parents who have placed a child for adoption, and for other purposes. Introduced 3/12/2009. Referred to the House Education and Labor Committee. 36 cosponsor.
H.R. 1840, The Protecting Incentives for the Adoption of Children with Special Needs Act of 2009. See also S. 735. Rep. Dave Camp, MI-4 To ensure States receive adoption incentive payments for fiscal year 2008 in accordance with the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. Introduced 4/1/2009. Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. 1 cosponsor. Passed the House 4/29/2009. Became PL 111-20 on 5/20/2009.
H.R. 2035,
The Pregnant Women Support Act.
Also see S.1032 Rep. Lincoln Davis, TN-4 To provide for programs that reduce abortions, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents. Introduced 4/22/2009. Referred to numerous committees. 39 cosponsors.
H.R. 2072,
The School Choice for Foster Kids Act.
Rep. Michele Bachmann, MN-6 To authorize States to use funds provided for the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program to provide vouchers to cover tuition costs at private schools, and transportation costs to and from public schools, of foster children of all ages. Introduced 4/23/2009. Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. 23 cosponsors.
H.R. 2339,
Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Act.
Rep. Lynn Woolsley, CA-6 To establish a program that supports the efforts of States to provide partial or full wage replacement to new parents, so that the new parents are able to spend time with a new infant or newly adopted child, and to other employees, and for other purposes. Introduced 5/7/2009. Referred to the Education and Labor Committee. 20 cosponsors.
H.R. 2524,
Dave Thomas Adoption Act of 2009.
Rep. Peter King, NY-3 To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow penalty-free withdrawals from individual retirement plans for adoption expenses. Introduced 5/20/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. 2 cosponsors.
H.R. 3070,
Families for Orphans Act of 2009.
See also S. 1458.
Rep. Diane E. Watson, CA-33 To encourage the development and implementation of a comprehensive, global strategy for the preservation and reunification of families and the provision of permanent parental care for orphans, and for other purposes.
Introduced 6/26/2009. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 4 cosponsor.
H.R. 3110,
Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act or the `FACE Act.'
Also see S. 1359. Rep. Diane E. Watson, CA-33 A bill to provide United States citizenship for children adopted from outside the United States, and for other purposes.
Introduced 6/26/2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 3 cosponsor.
H.R. 3329,
The Look-back Elimination Act. Rep. John Lewis, GA-5 To eliminate the requirement that, to be eligible for foster care maintenance payments, a child would have been eligible for aid under the former program of Aid to Families with Dependent Children at the time of removal from the home. Introduced 7/24/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. 8 cosponsors.
H.Res. 358
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, FL-5 A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month by promoting national awareness of adoption and the children in foster care awaiting families, celebrating children and families involved in adoption, recognizing current programs and efforts designed to promote adoption, and encouraging people in the United States to seek improved safety, permanency, and well-being for all children Introduced 4/23/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
H.Res. 391 Rep. Jim McDermott, WA-7 A resolution recognizing May as "National Foster Care Month" and acknowledging that the House of Representatives should continue to work to improve the Nation's foster care system. Introduced 4/30/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. On 5/6/2009 passed the House.
Note how many times "abortion prevention" is stated or inferred. Also noted are ACTIONS that we can take.
S. 324,
Melanie Blocker Stokes Mom's Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression Act' or the `Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.
See also H.R. 20. Sen. Robert Menendez, NJ A bill to provide for research on, and services for individuals with, postpartum depression and psychosis. Introduced 1/26/2009. Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 7 cosponsors.
[NOTE: The sponsors of this bill need to be made aware of the LIFELONG depression that results from losing a child to adoption.]
S. 354,
The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009.
See also H.R. 626. Sen. Jim Webb, VA To provide that 4 of the 12 weeks of parental leave made available to a Federal employee may be paid leave, including for an adoption placement. Introduced 1/29/2009. Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. 17 cosponsors.
S. 410,
The Resource Family Recruitment and Retention Act of 2009.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, AR A bill to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to ensure States follow best policies and practices for supporting and retaining foster parents and to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States to improve the empowerment, leadership, support, training, recruitment, and retention of foster care, kinship care, and adoptive parents. Introduced 2/11/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 10 cosponsors.
S.722,
The Taxpayer Certainty and Relief Act of 2009.
Sen. Max Baucus, MT A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for permanent alternative minimum tax relief, middle class tax relief, and estate tax relief, and to permanently extend certain expiring provision, including the adoption tax credit. Introduced 3/26/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 2 cosponsors.
What about "certainty" and "relief" for families in crisis?
NOTE that this bill INCLUDES PROVISIONS MAKING THE ADOPTION EXPNSE TAX CREDIT AND THE EXCLUSION-FROM-INCOME FOR ADOPTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM PROGRAMS PERMANANT!
S. 735,
Protecting Incentives for the Adoption of Children with Special Needs Act of 2009.
See also H.R. 1840.
Sen. Max Baucus, MT A bill to ensure States receive adoption incentive payments for fiscal year 2008 in accordance with the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. Introduced 3/30/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 1 cosponsor. Passed the Senate 4/2/2009; passed the House 4/29/2009. Became PL 111-20 on 5/20/2009.
This bill needs to be reviewed. While ii uses "special needs" in the title, are the funds limited to that use?
S. 938,
The White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010 Act.
See also H.R. 618. Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA To require the President to call a White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010. Introduced 4/30/2009. Referred to the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee. 11 cosponsors.
Something to keep a sharp eye on!
S. 939,
The Protecting Adoption and Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Act of 2009. Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA To establish national and State putative father registries, to make grants to States to promote permanent families for children and responsible fatherhood, and for other purposes. Introduced 4/30/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 0 cosponsors.
NOTE: This bill is to CREATE A NATIONAL DATABASE OF STATE PUTATIVE FATHER REGISTRIES. It has "strong support" from AAAA and NCFA.
S. 986,
Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2009.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA A bill to support the establishment or expansion and operation of programs using a network of public and private community entities to provide mentoring for children in foster care. Introduced 5/6/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 2 cosponsors.
S. 1032,
The Pregnant Women Support Act.
Also see H.R. 2035. Sen. Robert Casey, PA To provide for programs that reduce abortions, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents. Introduced 5/13/2009. Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. 1 cosponsor.
This is newspeak for increasing adoptions.
S. 1286,
The Keeping Families Safe Act. Sen. John D. Rockefeller, IV, WV To eliminate the requirement that, to be eligible for foster care maintenance payments, a child would have been eligible for aid under the former program of Aid to Families with Dependent Children at the time of removal from the home. Introduced 6/18/2009. Referred to the Finance Committee. 0 cosponsors.
S. 1359,
Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act or the `FACE Act.'
Also see H.R. 3110. Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA
A bill to provide United States citizenship for children adopted from outside the United States, and for other purposes. Introduced 6/25/2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. 1 cosponsor.
S. 1376 Sen. Amy Klobuchar, MN A bill to restore immunization and sibling age exemptions for children adopted by United States citizens under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption to allow their admission to the United States. Introduced 6/25/2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. 4 cosponsors.
S. 1458,
The Families for Orphans Act.
See also H.R. 3070. Sen. Mary Landrieu, LA To encourage the development and implementation of a comprehensive, global strategy for the preservation and reunification of families and the provision of permanent parental care for orphans, and for other purposes. Introduced 7/16/2009. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. 1 cosponsor.
H.R. 2,
The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.
Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ-6 To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to extend and improve the Children's Health Insurance Program, including provisions that affect adopted children. Introduced 1/13/2009. Referred to the House Energy and Commerce, House Ways and Means, and House Education and Labor Committees. 43 cosponsors. Became PL 111-3 on 2/4/2009.
Note that it does not cover children with medical and other special needs who remain within their families,
H.R. 20, The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.
Also see S. 324. Rep. Bobby Rush, IL-1 To provide for research on, and services for individuals with, postpartum depression and psychosis. Introduced 1/6/2009. Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. 15 cosponsors. Passed the House 3/30/2009. H. Rpt 111-48.
Will this include help for post adoption epression and PTSD?
H.R. 213,
The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009.
Rep. Joe Wilson, SC-2 To repeal the sunset of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 with respect to the expansion of the adoption credit and adoption assistance programs. Introduced 1/6/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. 94 cosponsors.
H.R. 221,
The Adoption Information Act.
Rep. Robert Wittman, VA-1 To require assurances that certain family planning service projects and programs will provide pamphlets containing the contact information of adoption centers. Introduced 1/6/2009. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 0 cosponsors.
NOTE: All the efforts to "reduce abortions" and provide adoption information.
H.R. 605,
The Pregnant Women Support Act.
Rep. Lincoln Davis, TN-4 To provide for programs that reduce the need for abortion, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents, including expanding and making refundable the adoption tax credit. Introduced 1/16/2009. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and others. 6 cosponsors.
What is the "refundable adoption tax credit?" I will be seeking an answer.
H.R. 618,
The White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010 Act. See also S. 938.
Rep. Chaka Fattah, PA-2 To require the President to call a White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010. Introduced 1/21/2009. Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor. 49 cosponsors.
H.R. 626,
The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009.
See also S. 354. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, NY-14 To provide that 4 of the 12 weeks of parental leave made available to a Federal employee may be paid leave, including for an adoption placement. Introduced 1/22/2009. Referred to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. 55 cosponsors. 6/4/2009 passed House. House Rpt. 111-116, part 1.
H.R. 636,
The Positive Alternatives Act. Rep. Michele Bachmann, MN-6 To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to allow funds provided under the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families to be used for alternative-to-abortion services, including adoption counseling. Introduced 1/22/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. 31 cosponsors.
H.R. 643,
The Care for Life Act of 2009. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, NE-1 To encourage and assist women to carry their children to live birth by providing services, during and after pregnancy, that will alleviate the financial, social, emotional, and other difficulties that may otherwise lead to abortion. It also expands and makes refundable the adoption tax credit. Introduced 1/22/2009. Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and others.1 cosponsor.
H.R. 1105,
The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009.
Rep. David Obey, WI-7 Making omnibus appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, including for the Adoption Assistance, Awareness, Opportunities, and Incentive programs. Introduced 2/2/3/2009. Referred to the House Appropriation and Budget Committees. Became PL 111-8 on 3/11/2009.
H.R. 1505,
The Birth Parent Assistance Act. Rep. Jean Schmidt, OH-2 To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide services for birth parents who have placed a child for adoption, and for other purposes. Introduced 3/12/2009. Referred to the House Education and Labor Committee. 36 cosponsor.
H.R. 1840, The Protecting Incentives for the Adoption of Children with Special Needs Act of 2009. See also S. 735. Rep. Dave Camp, MI-4 To ensure States receive adoption incentive payments for fiscal year 2008 in accordance with the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. Introduced 4/1/2009. Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. 1 cosponsor. Passed the House 4/29/2009. Became PL 111-20 on 5/20/2009.
H.R. 2035,
The Pregnant Women Support Act.
Also see S.1032 Rep. Lincoln Davis, TN-4 To provide for programs that reduce abortions, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents. Introduced 4/22/2009. Referred to numerous committees. 39 cosponsors.
H.R. 2072,
The School Choice for Foster Kids Act.
Rep. Michele Bachmann, MN-6 To authorize States to use funds provided for the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program to provide vouchers to cover tuition costs at private schools, and transportation costs to and from public schools, of foster children of all ages. Introduced 4/23/2009. Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. 23 cosponsors.
H.R. 2339,
Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Act.
Rep. Lynn Woolsley, CA-6 To establish a program that supports the efforts of States to provide partial or full wage replacement to new parents, so that the new parents are able to spend time with a new infant or newly adopted child, and to other employees, and for other purposes. Introduced 5/7/2009. Referred to the Education and Labor Committee. 20 cosponsors.
H.R. 2524,
Dave Thomas Adoption Act of 2009.
Rep. Peter King, NY-3 To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow penalty-free withdrawals from individual retirement plans for adoption expenses. Introduced 5/20/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. 2 cosponsors.
H.R. 3070,
Families for Orphans Act of 2009.
See also S. 1458.
Rep. Diane E. Watson, CA-33 To encourage the development and implementation of a comprehensive, global strategy for the preservation and reunification of families and the provision of permanent parental care for orphans, and for other purposes.
Introduced 6/26/2009. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 4 cosponsor.
H.R. 3110,
Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act or the `FACE Act.'
Also see S. 1359. Rep. Diane E. Watson, CA-33 A bill to provide United States citizenship for children adopted from outside the United States, and for other purposes.
Introduced 6/26/2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 3 cosponsor.
H.R. 3329,
The Look-back Elimination Act. Rep. John Lewis, GA-5 To eliminate the requirement that, to be eligible for foster care maintenance payments, a child would have been eligible for aid under the former program of Aid to Families with Dependent Children at the time of removal from the home. Introduced 7/24/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. 8 cosponsors.
H.Res. 358
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, FL-5 A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month by promoting national awareness of adoption and the children in foster care awaiting families, celebrating children and families involved in adoption, recognizing current programs and efforts designed to promote adoption, and encouraging people in the United States to seek improved safety, permanency, and well-being for all children Introduced 4/23/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
H.Res. 391 Rep. Jim McDermott, WA-7 A resolution recognizing May as "National Foster Care Month" and acknowledging that the House of Representatives should continue to work to improve the Nation's foster care system. Introduced 4/30/2009. Referred to the Ways and Means Committee. On 5/6/2009 passed the House.
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