Comments on: Heeding the Warnings http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/ A collaborative blog advocating ethics in adoption Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:00:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Kathy http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1828 Kathy Tue, 06 May 2008 18:54:16 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1828 Hi Janine, I am in the same boat as you. My Dossier is currently not in Vietnam and I am not sure at theis point it I even want it sent. I know there is no way that I will be able to get a referral now. Not sure what I am going to do. Not very many countries wil accept a single person. My heart is broken for everyone, especially all of the children. Hi Janine,
I am in the same boat as you. My Dossier is currently not in Vietnam and I am not sure at theis point it I even want it sent. I know there is no way that I will be able to get a referral now. Not sure what I am going to do. Not very many countries wil accept a single person. My heart is broken for everyone, especially all of the children.

]]> By: Janine Olsen http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1807 Janine Olsen Thu, 01 May 2008 07:04:32 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1807 I, like many of you are devastated by this. My first dossier never made it over to Vietnam because things halted for a few months, and so I had to do my dossier again because everything expired. Dossier #2 had just been sent to the US embassy. I have been with my adoption agency for a year and a half. In almost a year, my dossier never made it over to Vietnam, and now this!!! I'm getting too old to adopt, so if Vietnam doesn't open back up, I'll be through. What a shame that all of us with love to give and a good home can't help the orphans!! It is so heartbreaking......... I, like many of you are devastated by this. My first dossier never made it over to Vietnam because things halted for a few months, and so I had to do my dossier again because everything expired. Dossier #2 had just been sent to the US embassy. I have been with my adoption agency for a year and a half. In almost a year, my dossier never made it over to Vietnam, and now this!!! I’m getting too old to adopt, so if Vietnam doesn’t open back up, I’ll be through. What a shame that all of us with love to give and a good home can’t help the orphans!! It is so heartbreaking………

]]> By: jodean http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1417 jodean Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:03:44 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1417 I am working with Children's Hope, and have recieved the same information from them. I am feeling very uneasy about their decision to continue accepting new applications with all the uncertainty right now..... We spent a lot of time researching agencies and up until recently have been very confident in our decision. It just doesn't seem very responsible. Just trying to figure out what this means for us.... I am working with Children’s Hope, and have recieved the same information from them. I am feeling very uneasy about their decision to continue accepting new applications with all the uncertainty right now….. We spent a lot of time researching agencies and up until recently have been very confident in our decision. It just doesn’t seem very responsible.
Just trying to figure out what this means for us….

]]> By: Nat http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1416 Nat Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:12:22 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1416 L., what better advice could the State Department give right now? As frustrating as it is to read the tea leaves as a PAP, what I have seen so far in intercountry adoption--in Cambodia, Vietnam, Guatemala and Ethiopia -- is that quite often, these situations are works in progress. There is no secret "decision" that has been made, or hidden path. The State Department has already put out several warnings about Vietnam, and alerted PAPs to the fact that things COULD change or shutdown. It seems to me it would be irresponsible of them (and harmful to the ultimate goal of keeping adoptions open) to "advise parents one way or the others" -- to tell people either to abandon their plans altogether, or not to worry because it will all work out. If they tell everyone to jump ship, and it turns out the MOU gets renewed, then everyone would say they were alarmist; if they tell everyone to jump ship and the MOU does NOT get renewed, people will say it's because they told everyone to leave; and if they said nothing, then a lot of PAPs would simply believe what unscrupulous agencies tell them and fork over a lot of nonrefundable money at a time when they shouldn't. And if they shut a country down completely, then people get angry that they weren't allowed to take their own risks. What could they do differently when things are still uncertain? L., what better advice could the State Department give right now? As frustrating as it is to read the tea leaves as a PAP, what I have seen so far in intercountry adoption–in Cambodia, Vietnam, Guatemala and Ethiopia — is that quite often, these situations are works in progress. There is no secret “decision” that has been made, or hidden path. The State Department has already put out several warnings about Vietnam, and alerted PAPs to the fact that things COULD change or shutdown. It seems to me it would be irresponsible of them (and harmful to the ultimate goal of keeping adoptions open) to “advise parents one way or the others” — to tell people either to abandon their plans altogether, or not to worry because it will all work out. If they tell everyone to jump ship, and it turns out the MOU gets renewed, then everyone would say they were alarmist; if they tell everyone to jump ship and the MOU does NOT get renewed, people will say it’s because they told everyone to leave; and if they said nothing, then a lot of PAPs would simply believe what unscrupulous agencies tell them and fork over a lot of nonrefundable money at a time when they shouldn’t. And if they shut a country down completely, then people get angry that they weren’t allowed to take their own risks.

What could they do differently when things are still uncertain?

]]> By: Waiting three http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1385 Waiting three Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:37:23 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1385 Well said, L. Thank you. Well said, L. Thank you.

]]> By: L http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1361 L Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:48:41 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1361 As a former government employee, I am disheartened by an "anonymous source" and their effort to "reach out to the community". Where on earth are the official statements and people who are willing to have their name attached? Have our government employees forgotten who their employers are? The more I learn about our Vietnam process and our investigations and negotiations, the more ashamed I am. My goodness gracious, it is beyond time for the State Department to advise parents one way or the other and stand behind that advice with adequate documentation to support their position. As a former government employee, I am disheartened by an “anonymous source” and their effort to “reach out to the community”. Where on earth are the official statements and people who are willing to have their name attached? Have our government employees forgotten who their employers are? The more I learn about our Vietnam process and our investigations and negotiations, the more ashamed I am. My goodness gracious, it is beyond time for the State Department to advise parents one way or the other and stand behind that advice with adequate documentation to support their position.

]]> By: yvette http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1360 yvette Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:07:26 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1360 I meant to say I found it on someone's blog http://leeseadoptionadventure.blogspot.com/2008/03/march-should-prove-to-be-informative.html I meant to say I found it on someone’s blog http://leeseadoptionadventure.blogspot.com/2008/03/march-should-prove-to-be-informative.html

]]> By: yvette http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1359 yvette Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:05:03 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1359 I'm guessing that the "major agency" that they are talking about is Children's Hope International. I found this on someone's below. In the first half of the statement they sound like there's no problem, in the second half it sounds more serious. Sounds like a terrible contradiction. <b>The 2005 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), required by Vietnamese law to authorize adoptions between the United States and Vietnam, expires on September 1, 2008. The US State department is warning families just now applying to agencies for the Vietnam program. Due to the timing of the process, a family now applying will not receive a referral or submit their completed adoption paperwork to Vietnam prior to the MOU expiring in September. If there is a short moratorium (in English this means shut down, all of this adoption lingo gets confusing), during which the two countries come to a new agreement if necessary, the impact could be minimal to our families and another agreement may be signed soon thereafter. Hanoi Quarterly US Embassy Meeting: Thuy, our main representative in Vietnam, attended the quarterly US embassy meeting in Hanoi for all adoption agencies. The new I-600 procedures were discussed for agencies whose families had not yet traveled under the new I-600 (immigration form for internationally adopted children). A group of US officials will travel to Vietnam in March to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnam government. In March, written letters may be exchanged between the two governments to resign the MOU which expires this year. If the written letters are not exchanged in March, then the MOU will expire on September 1, 2008, and agencies will no longer be allowed to submit new dossiers after this time. Therefore, more details concerning the MOU will be coming soon. (I bolded this section in black b/c this tells us in a nutshell that if they (the U.S. and Vietnam) don't get things resolved this month adoptions will cease come September 1) For us that would mean our process is halted (whether it be temporarily or permanently)</b> http://leeseadoptionadventure.blogspot.com/2008/03/march-should-prove-to-be-informative.html I’m guessing that the “major agency” that they are talking about is Children’s Hope International. I found this on someone’s below.
In the first half of the statement they sound like there’s no problem, in the second half it sounds more serious. Sounds like a terrible contradiction.

The 2005 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), required by Vietnamese law to authorize adoptions between the United States and Vietnam, expires on September 1, 2008. The US State department is warning families just now applying to agencies for the Vietnam program. Due to the timing of the process, a family now applying will not receive a referral or submit their completed adoption paperwork to Vietnam prior to the MOU expiring in September. If there is a short moratorium (in English this means shut down, all of this adoption lingo gets confusing), during which the two countries come to a new agreement if necessary, the impact could be minimal to our families and another agreement may be signed soon thereafter. Hanoi Quarterly US Embassy Meeting: Thuy, our main representative in Vietnam, attended the quarterly US embassy meeting in Hanoi for all adoption agencies. The new I-600 procedures were discussed for agencies whose families had not yet traveled under the new I-600 (immigration form for internationally adopted children). A group of US officials will travel to Vietnam in March to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnam government. In March, written letters may be exchanged between the two governments to resign the MOU which expires this year. If the written letters are not exchanged in March, then the MOU will expire on September 1, 2008, and agencies will no longer be allowed to submit new dossiers after this time. Therefore, more details concerning the MOU will be coming soon. (I bolded this section in black b/c this tells us in a nutshell that if they (the U.S. and Vietnam) don’t get things resolved this month adoptions will cease come September 1) For us that would mean our process is halted (whether it be temporarily or permanently)

http://leeseadoptionadventure.blogspot.com/2008/03/march-should-prove-to-be-informative.html

]]> By: yvette http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1358 yvette Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:59:55 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1358 I'm guessing that the "major agency" that they are talking about is Children's Hope International. I found this on someone's below. In the first half of the statement they sound like there's no problem, in the second half it sounds more serious. Sounds like a terrible contradiction. The 2005 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), required by Vietnamese law to authorize adoptions between the United States and Vietnam, expires on September 1, 2008. The US State department is warning families just now applying to agencies for the Vietnam program. Due to the timing of the process, a family now applying will not receive a referral or submit their completed adoption paperwork to Vietnam prior to the MOU expiring in September. If there is a short moratorium (in English this means shut down, all of this adoption lingo gets confusing), during which the two countries come to a new agreement if necessary, the impact could be minimal to our families and another agreement may be signed soon thereafter. Hanoi Quarterly US Embassy Meeting: Thuy, our main representative in Vietnam, attended the quarterly US embassy meeting in Hanoi for all adoption agencies. The new I-600 procedures were discussed for agencies whose families had not yet traveled under the new I-600 (immigration form for internationally adopted children). A group of US officials will travel to Vietnam in March to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnam government. In March, written letters may be exchanged between the two governments to resign the MOU which expires this year. If the written letters are not exchanged in March, then the MOU will expire on September 1, 2008, and agencies will no longer be allowed to submit new dossiers after this time. Therefore, more details concerning the MOU will be coming soon. (I bolded this section in black b/c this tells us in a nutshell that if they (the U.S. and Vietnam) don't get things resolved this month adoptions will cease come September 1) For us that would mean our process is halted (whether it be temporarily or permanently) http://leeseadoptionadventure.blogspot.com/2008/03/march-should-prove-to-be-informative.html I’m guessing that the “major agency” that they are talking about is Children’s Hope International. I found this on someone’s below.
In the first half of the statement they sound like there’s no problem, in the second half it sounds more serious. Sounds like a terrible contradiction.

The 2005 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), required by Vietnamese law to authorize adoptions between the United States and Vietnam, expires on September 1, 2008. The US State department is warning families just now applying to agencies for the Vietnam program. Due to the timing of the process, a family now applying will not receive a referral or submit their completed adoption paperwork to Vietnam prior to the MOU expiring in September. If there is a short moratorium (in English this means shut down, all of this adoption lingo gets confusing), during which the two countries come to a new agreement if necessary, the impact could be minimal to our families and another agreement may be signed soon thereafter. Hanoi Quarterly US Embassy Meeting: Thuy, our main representative in Vietnam, attended the quarterly US embassy meeting in Hanoi for all adoption agencies. The new I-600 procedures were discussed for agencies whose families had not yet traveled under the new I-600 (immigration form for internationally adopted children). A group of US officials will travel to Vietnam in March to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnam government. In March, written letters may be exchanged between the two governments to resign the MOU which expires this year. If the written letters are not exchanged in March, then the MOU will expire on September 1, 2008, and agencies will no longer be allowed to submit new dossiers after this time. Therefore, more details concerning the MOU will be coming soon. (I bolded this section in black b/c this tells us in a nutshell that if they (the U.S. and Vietnam) don’t get things resolved this month adoptions will cease come September 1) For us that would mean our process is halted (whether it be temporarily or permanently)

http://leeseadoptionadventure.blogspot.com/2008/03/march-should-prove-to-be-informative.html

]]> By: Mindy http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1357 Mindy Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:54:56 +0000 http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2008/03/01/heeding-the-warnings/#comment-1357 Yes, this officially scares the crap out of me too. Yes, this officially scares the crap out of me too.

]]>