Guatemala is one of the most controversial subjects in the world of International Adoption today. Not wishing to add further to the controversy, it is just that adopting a child from Guatemala today can be a little tricky unless you know what you are doing. International Adoption is not easy, especially when there is a language barrier.
Add to that the fact that you are about to enter an area where the entire world of Adoption is treated like an unofficial major industry and you can perhaps begin to imagine where potential problems might arise International adoption is a very positive alternative for couples who have endured disappointing fertility results and failed domestic adoption attempts. Please be aware that international adoption is not cheap. International adoption is not for everyone, it is a complicated, exciting, scary, fulfilling and ultimately life-changing process and is a wonderful way of expanding your family and providing a caring, loving home to a child in need.
International adoption is more of a possibility today than ever. It is a current event increasingly on the rise in America and simply stated, is where a child who is a citizen of one country is adopted by parents who are citizens of a different country. Guatemala is one of the rare countries that allow placing newborn healthy children directly for the international adoption.
Before deciding on adoption from Guatemala, you will need to do your homework. The government of Guatemala does not have a specific procedure to approve international adoption agencies. It has the most lenient requirements of countries placing children for international adoption.
Guatemala is located in Central America between Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. Last year, approximately 3700 children were adopted from Guatemala by US Citizens and Guatemala is one among one of the top five countries that place children for International adoption. As I mentioned at the start of this brief article, Adoption in Guatemala is big business.
It is a sad but true fact of life that the interests of the child very rarely (though not always) come first. Now this is not to give the impression that adoptions from Guatemala will work, far from it, it is just that when you mix an action that is essentially motivated by a complex basic natural desire, that is to say the adoption of a child. Take this action out of its normal environment and then introduce potentially vulnerable adults into a climate that is more fuelled by finance and greed then you have the potential for major conflict. If you are interested in making a family, which would include an infant, toddler, or alder child, then international adoption is a viable option.
International adoption is a very positive alternative for couples who have endured disappointing fertility results and failed domestic adoption attempts. International adoption is a complicated, exciting, scary, fulfilling and ultimately life-changing process. If this is the route that you have definitely chosen to follow, the pathway that is for you, then your first steps should be to liaise with an Adoption Professional within your area of legal jurisdiction who has an expertise with International Adoption because at the end of the day you are embarking upon a procedure that is essentially all about Immigration.
If the legal paperwork at the domestic end i.e. your local area does not tie up then no matter how much love and affection etc you are prepared to invest in this project it just will not get off the ground and you could end up losing more than just a few broken hearts.
Stephen Morgan writes regularly on social matters and is editor of http://www.adoptionusa.info, http://www.internationaladoptioninformation.com and http://www.internationaladoptionusa.info.
