Adoptions From Guatemala Face an Uncertain Future
Author: Lynette Clemetson
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
After successfully adopting a child from Guatemala two years ago, Mary Vertin and Mark Huepfel are trying to adopt another from the country. This time around, though, the process has been fraught with uncertainty.
The couple’s adoption agency, Children’s Home Society and Family Services, based in St. Paul, has encouraged them to consider other countries. The State Department fact sheet on adopting from the country states, “We cannot recommend adoptions from Guatemala at this time,” citing unethical
practices. There have been signs that American adoptions from Guatemala — the second most popular destination for overseas adoptions, behind China — may end.