Ortega Law - Please read and act!

As you all know, there are big changes taking place in the world of Guatemalan adoptions. This week, the Guatemalan Congress passed legislation that effectively suspends all intercountry adoptions with American families as of January 1, 2008. The final reading and approval of this bill takes place next Tuesday, the 9th. It is expected that there will be an amendment introduced that provides for some type of “grandfathering-in” of all in-process adoptions, but there are no guarantees at this point.

I could go on and on about the details of this stuff. The bottom line is this…yes, the Guatemalan adoption process does need an overhaul. I’m all for it; however, it would be unspeakable for the Guatemalan government to do this as of January 1 without providing for some type of transition period so that the estimated FIVE THOUSAND FAMILIES currently attempting to adopt from Guatemala will be able to bring their babies home. Not to mention that there are a staggering number of babies and children in hogars (orphanages) and foster homes right now in Guatemala. What happens to them when adoptions stop? This is a poor, poor country that does not have the resources to properly care for these thousands of children. The thought of what happens to them from that point literally makes me feel sick.

So, here’s the deal. We, along with thousands of other prospective adoptive families and the Joint Council on International Children’s Services, are asking you to take a few minutes out of your day to help our cause. You can visit the JCICS’s website at www.jcics.org and click on The Guatemala 5000 Initiative to read more about all of this, or see the info at the end of this posting, which I copied from their site this morning. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE get in touch with your inner-activist and DO SOMETHING. Call, write, fax, or email on October 9th, 10th, or 11th (details, including phone numbers and addresses, are in the information at the end of this posting).

This is a private blog and only our dearest family and friends have access. We NEED you to do this for our family. You NEED to do this for Catalina and Gus and Max. Those babies belong together and you can help make that happen. Here’s the most recent picture we have, taken on September 14th, of Catalina and Gus’s beautiful brother. We know that there is a real possibility that we may not be able to complete this adoption, but we are moving forward anyway because the bottom line is…HE IS ALREADY PART OF OUR FAMILY. He is the biological brother of our Catalina and Gus. We have to do everything we possibly can for him, even if that means working until midnight on December 31, 2007 on this adoption, only to find out later that our worst fears are realized. I mean this with my whole heart…they might be able to keep us from legally adopting him now, but they cannot keep us from loving him and from having a relationship with him and from trying again in the future to bring him home to his family.

So, here’s the info you need in order to make a difference. Read more about all of this at www.jcics.org if you like. And, one more thing…if you do call or write as part of this initiative, please email me or Louie and let us know. I keep every email, letter, blog comment, etc. that anyone has sent during our adoptions so that our babies will know the overwhelming love and prayers that were supporting them and us. I want Max to be able to see what you did for him, so please just drop me a line and let me know.

How YOU can participate in the Guatemala 5000 Initiative
Make six simple phone calls and one email.
1. Call your U.S. Senator.
• You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at www.senate.gov
• Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

2. Call your second U.S. Senator.

3. Call your representative to the U.S. House of Representative.
• You can find your representative at www.house.gov
• Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

4. Call or fax UNICEF Headquarters
• Ask to speak with Ann Veneman, Executive Director
• Their number is 212-326-7000
• Their fax number is 212-326-7758

5. Call or fax UNICEF Guatemala
• Ask to speak with Manuel Manrique
• Their number is 011-502-2327-6373
• Their fax number is 011-502-2327.6366
Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls.

7. Send and email supporting Intercountry Adoption to guatemala5000@jcics.org
• Write briefly or at length
• Joint Council will use the cumulative email petition in our advocacy for Intercountry Adoption
When should you call?
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (October 9th, 10th, 11th)
For maximum affect, we are asking you to make these calls within a 72 hour window!

What should you say or write to a member of the U.S. Congress?
Speak from your heart and give them the following information:
• Inform them that you are calling regarding the Guatemala 5000.
• Ask them to sign the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) sponsored letter to President Oscar Berger
• Ask them to sign the Joint Council sponsored letter to UNICEF
• Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the United States will be suspended on January 1, 2008.
• Inform them that President Berger's announcement also indicated that there will be no 'grandfathering' of adoptions already in process.
• Inform them that if children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care.
• Ask that their office get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF. These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1, 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.