drew moser: Sample Letter Re: Guatemalan Adoptions

journal : : field notes

Sample Letter Re: Guatemalan Adoptions

27 September 2007

[This is in reference to our plea for you all to act on our behalf. It will only make sense if you read this post first]

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Dear [insert elected official's name here]:

I'm writing to plead for your action, as my elected official to respond and act upon the recent warning, issued by the U.S. Dept. of State on the status of Guatemalan adoptions. The statement can be found HERE, and refers to the implementation of the Hague Convention on International Adoption on Jan 1, 2008. The warning indicates that when the Hague is implemented on Jan. 1st, adoption cases in-process (pending) will not be grandfathered in under current law and, even worse, may not be able to be completed.

The prospect and threat of thousands of American families losing it all due to the transition to the Hague Convention is simply unjust to those families currently in-process, and to the Guatemalan children who desperately need families. Rendering pending cases as un-adoptable could cause an orphan crisis in Guatemala, and would result in thousands of U.S. families losing months and months of waiting and paperwork submitted, not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars already spent by American families in each pending case.

It is incredibly discouraging for the Dept. of State to simply report that pending cases will likely be terminated as of Jan 1. They have presently offered no support to families whose cases are pending, and have taken no steps to ensure that this injustice is corrected. As a government that exists 'of the people, by the people, and for the people', American families deserve better.

I'm asking for your help, as my elected representative, to represent American families, and fight for justice for them. Use your influence to demand that the U.S. Dept. of State, the DOS Guatemala Adoption Desk (202-736-9090), the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, as well as the appropriate Guatemalan Government officials to ensure that justice is served for pending adoption cases in Guatemala. Guatemalan orphans and American families deserve assurance that their cases will be processed under current adoption law, and will NOT be terminated due to the implementation of the Hague Treaty.

Thank you for your assistance on this matter.

Sincerely,

[insert your name and address]

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[There it is. Use it. Please.]