Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 25, 2008 5:54:42 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Guatemala Suspends Adoptions

Posted May 6, 08 10:38 AM CDT in US,  World 

(Newser) – Guatemala has suspended roughly 2,300 adoptions in an effort to prevent fraud, the BBC reports. The hold-up, for at least a month, will allow authorities to verify—using DNA testing if necessary—that each child is a legitimate candidate. Charges of baby-snatching and other fraud have prompted a crackdown on the adoption system that channeled 4,700 children to American parents  last year.

Only China sends more babies to the US. The cases being held up were already in progress before Guatemala adopted more stringent regulations in January, allowing only accredited agencies to handle adoptions and making fees transparent. The US enacted its own safeguards in August, requiring two DNA tests on each inbound baby: one at the beginning of the process and one at the end to insure that babies have not been switched.

Source BBC

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Baby-Stealing Charges Halt Adoptions

    May 28, 08 11:39 AM CDT
    Baby-Stealing Charges Halt Adoptions Guatemala and Vietnam, two of the most popular countries for international adoptions, recently halted their programs, following reports that some babies are kidnapped and put up for adoption or birth mothers coerced—fueled by the $30,000 an adoption can fetch. Vietnam says it will no longer allow adoptions to the US, while Guatemala will resume them only after slogging through a case-by-case review of pending adoptions. More »

  • Vietnamese Babies 'Sold to US'

    Apr 25, 08 3:47 AM CDT
    US adoptions of Vietnamese children are tainted by bribery, kidnapping and baby-selling, according to an investigation by the US Embassy. The report, obtained by AP, discovered that one hospital sold a baby whose mother couldn't pay her medical bills. US couples—including Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt—have adopted more than 1,200 Vietnamese children in the last 18 months. More »

  • Juno Barbs Prompt Protests

    Feb 14, 08 4:02 PM CST
    Juno Barbs Prompt Protests Angry viewers are lobbying to axe "hurtful" lines from the trailer of quirky adoption flick Juno before showing it at the Oscars, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The offending scene—televised at the Golden Globes—has the title character quipping the Chinese "give away babies like free iPods." Screenwriter Diablo Cody says she was showcasing Juno's ignorance in a "wince-inducing, quintessentially teenage way." More »

  • Foreign Adoptions Down 15%

    Dec 2, 07 5:11 AM CST
    Foreign Adoptions Down 15% US adoptions from abroad have sunk for the third straight year, mostly because China and Russia have tougher policies, AP reports. A drop in adoptions from Haiti and South Korea have also added to the 15% decline since 2004. But a spike in adoptions from Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Vietnam have partly balanced the scales, experts say. More »

  • 3,700 Adoptions in Limbo

    Nov 20, 07 5:38 PM CST
    3,700 Adoptions in Limbo Thousands of Americans are caught in heartbreaking limbo as Guatemala debates new rules for its adoption system, the AP reports. US families await 3,700 kids, but Guatemala wants to regulate what many call a crime-ridden $100 million business that includes coercion and kidnapping. The US has asked for current adoptions to be okayed, but Guatemala claims that 1,000 cases already show problems. More »

Ann and David Roth stand in the nursery they readied for a baby girl and boy they hope to adopt from a Guatemalan adoption agency.   (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Documents of children awaiting adoption sit at the National Adoption Council in Guatemala City, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008.   (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Relatives of Maria Natividad Hernandez Reynoso, a Guatemalan woman who allegedly used a false identity while giving her child up for adoption, are seen at Hernandez's house in Guatemala.   (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Orphanage workers care for babies in San Jose Pinula, Guatemala, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007. The Guatemalan government says it will allow all pending adoptions to move forward, but only after the government...   (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 4)

Tags

adoption  • Guatemala  • foreign adoptions  • baby selling


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »