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Minnesota Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar
met with Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom Tuesday, pressing him to
let adoptions that are in the works for American families go
forward.

      On Jan. 1, a new adoption law took effect in Guatemala to comply
with an international treaty to prevent human trafficking.
Guatemala is the second-largest source of U.S. adopted children
after China, and there are nearly 3,000 pending U.S. adoptions.

      Under State Department pressure, Guatemala is allowing those to
go through, but would-be parents were warned last year not to
initiate new adoptions.

      According to Coleman, a Republican, Colom assured the senators
in the meeting that the country intended to move forward with the
"grandfathered" cases.

      "We left with assurances that this was high on his agenda,"
Coleman told reporters on a conference call. "We're all concerned
about the Guatemala adoption process," he added.

      He said his message for families that have pending applications
is: "The process may take a little time, but the commitment is to
move forward, and ultimately get these adoptions completed. I
understand the anxiety."

      In a statement, Klobuchar said she pressed Colom to work with
Minnesota families who are finalizing adoptions.

      "We must work together to ensure that we can have the common
goal of helping place these children in permanent homes with loving
families," she said. "This is not just about helping families in
America who want to adopt. It's also about protecting Guatemala's
children in need who deserve a permanent, nurturing family - many
Guatemalan children have found these loving families right here in
Minnesota."

      Also Tuesday, Coleman commented on Vietnam's announcement this
week that it would stop processing new adoption applications from
U.S. citizens after July 1, amid allegations of baby-selling,
corruption and fraud.

      In a telephone interview, Coleman said that U.S. families that
have already processed adoptions from Vietnam should be allowed to
proceed.

      "I am pleased that the Vietnamese government is taking the
issue of corruption and child trafficking seriously," he said.


"The one concern I have is there are Minnesota families who have
gone through the process, who have been vetted," and could be
affected by the decision. He said he plans to meet with the Vietnam
ambassador to the U.S. to discuss the situation.

      The State Department says that Vietnam would allow adoptions to
be completed in pending cases where prospective parents had been
matched with a child and received an official referral before Sept
1.

      But Coleman says that families he's been contacted by are still
concerned about the status of those adoptions.

Gallery

Families in limbo over adoptions from Guatemala

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Fred Frommer

Author

Minnesota Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar
met with Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom Tuesday, pressing him to
let adoptions that are in the works for American families go
forward.


Minn. senators talk adoption with Guatemalan president

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