Observers: Impact of Guatemalan adoption reform remains to be seen

Published: 2007-10-29

GUATEMALA CITY (CNS) -- In a quiet neighborhood, rows of cribs line the walls of an orphanage. Each crib is marked with a child's name, a birth date and the name of a family: "Angela Belen Chez, Oct. 13. Curran Family." "Eduardo Javier, Sept. 17. Cowden Family." The cribs are separated by months of birth: September babies in one room, October births in the next. Nearby, women who recently gave birth recover in one house, and expectant women prepare in another. For years, this predominantly Catholic Central American country has been known as an epicenter of international adoptions. The proximity to the United States and lack of red tape has made Guatemala the largest per capita source of adoptions in the world. Adoptions have helped finance the operations of many of the country's orphanages, who say they provide a service for an estimated 370,000 orphans otherwise ignored by the government in this impoverished country. "Without adoptions, we couldn't provide health care for these mothers or provide education and services for these kids," said Heather Radu, who runs Hannah's Hope orphanage in Guatemala City. But a pending reform would overhaul the system, raising speculation that the adoption industry, estimated by Guatemala's vice president to be worth $400 million a year, will be shattered and the children who receive care will be left with few choices.

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