Should adoptive families continue to accept referrals from Guatemala?
This is the most often asked question, and the most difficult to answer. Families wishing to adopt from Guatemala should carefully follow the current events. Information may change daily and the only thing that appears certain right now is that some type of change is inevitable in Guatemalan adoptions. In situations where this level of uncertainty exists, the choices adoption agencies offer to parents can vary widely from one agency to the next. Whenever a country undertakes changes of this magnitude, there is at least some risk that adoptions will close or that processing times will become extremely protracted. Some agencies may become hesitant to give referrals until the situation becomes clearer. Other agencies may actually encourage adoptive families to rush to file so that the family will be included in the “pipeline” if the door were to suddenly close. The most responsible agencies will adopt a program which makes the risks and possibilities clear to adoptive families and will en
