More information on what to say (if you need guidance)

Below are some suggestions on what to say when you contact the US Congress and UNICEF to help you out. This can be a bit confusing, but the general idea is very straightforward and all they need to do is help pass a grandfather clause amendment to the Ortega Law. That will help all in process parents bring their much loved babies home.

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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.

What should you say or write to UNICEF?
Speak from your heart and give them the following information·

Inform them that you are calling regarding the Guatemala 5000.· Ask them to support the right’s of children and lend their considerable influence to ensuring that intercountry adoptions currently in-process be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.· Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all adoptions with the U.S. 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 them again for their support of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative.

Can you explain the problem behind the pending crisis? Here is some additional information…

Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to effectively stop all adoptions into the United States including those children who have already been referred to adoptive parents· Over 5,000 children have been referred· The birthparents for these children have already relinquished their parental rights. As a result, they currently have no family and the Berger suspension will result in these children having no prospect for a permanent, safe and loving family· The government of Guatemala currently does not have the finances or facilities to even provide housing for these 5,000 children· The Berger plan is a crisis waiting to happen.