Checks, Balances and Red Tape

It never fails with adoption paper chasing that just when you start to think things are getting better someone (in this case the USCIS) pulls the rug out from under you.  I should be used to it by now.  My adoptions have each had a high degree of administrative frustration either that or I have a VERY low tolerance for administrative frustration. Either way it flat out sucks.

The latest logjam is with my I800a which has now been with immigration for more then two months. I expected the approval would finally be here last week since other PAP's with the same receipt date were reporting their approvals were complete, but of course I was wrong.

After days of mailbox disappointment I broke down and sent an email to my case worker yesterday.  I thought she would say my approval was in the mail but instead she told me she was just now reviewing my home study. What???? Why is she five days behind everyone else???

I know, I know... the good news is we are close (although God help us if there is a request for additional information), but at this point days really do matter more than ever.  We are in a race to get a log in date (LID) by September 30th or we will be subject to a rule change that goes into effect on October 1st that would cause us to have to redo our entire home study with a new social worker.  This  could possibly set us back 3-4 MONTHS.

Seriously you will not want to be near me if this happens.

Still waiting for immigration approval...

I've supplied our case officer with our Fed Ex account number and asked her to overnight our approval.  Praying that I'll have the blessed thing in my hands by 10:30 am on Tuesday. If it does come Tuesday morning we can drive it down to the state capital and get it certified by 2 pm and then overnight it to our agency before the end of the day.

If we can be DTC (dossier to China) by Labor day, then I think we can beat the deadline.  If not...well let's not even go there.

In case you couldn't already tell, NOTHING about paper chasing gets any easier with subsequent adoptions.  Nothing. I could adopt 10 more kids and it wouldn't get any easier. (Which should not come as a surprise since each child is equally wanted and equally in need.)

Adoption is fraught with superfluous administrative burden.  Inefficiencies that are beyond disheartening to prospective parents; inefficiencies that keep kids in institutional care, away from loving permanent homes and desperately needed medical care longer than absolutely necessary. And that is the real crime.

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My Daughter's REAL Birthdate Matters

Today is The Ladybug’s birthday but it is not the birth date listed on her Chinese birth certificate. Because the date listed on her birth certificate is wrong; a date incorrectly estimated and assigned to her by an orphanage director. We know this to be true based on first-hand accounts by the foster parents who took custody of her within hours of her birth.

The dates are “only” off by about a month so it’s not as if they affect anything in terms of significant age, developmental assessments or school placement or anything else like that.  It’s just that the birth date is not hers.

And for a kid who’s already lost so much of her birth story that month really matters.

But let me tell you getting this mistake corrected isn’t as simple as it should be. 

We have actually had to hire an immigration/adoption attorney to prepare a formal motion with the court; in doing so we have had to gather documentation from China, her foster parents and our physician. But that’s not the worst part, our attorney has actually advised us NOT to proceed with our request because it could cause inconsistencies in The bug's “official records” that flag immigration and Homeland Security.  She could have problems when obtaining a passport and when traveling in and out of the US.

So basically a consistent error is preferred over a onetime correction?

Are you kidding me? 

According to the "experts" my daughter should just suck it up and keep a false birth date because it’s an administrative hassle and apparently represents too much complexity for our government to get right?  If that’s the best we can do then we seriously have no hope of keeping terrorists out of our country.  Because if THIS is too complicated, a five year old with a typo on her forms, we’re sunk. 

And this does bring to light one point (there are many) of absolute agreement I have with adult adoptees; 

Adoptees should have full unrestricted access to their original birth certificates, medical history and birth information and, should be able to correct erroneous information without administrative burden.

My daughter’s birth date is the one thing from her birth story that she still “owns” and no amount of USCIS/TSA/Homeland Security bureaucratic stupidity is going to take it away from her!

TODAY is her birthday. 

Not July 25^th. TODAY.

And it matters that we get it right.

Happy 5th birthday my love.

We go to court in October.  Wish us luck,

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Guest Post by Melissa

Today's post is written by Melissa a fellow adoptive mother and friend who asked if I would permit her to guest post on my blog. She wanted to add to the recent discussion on the "politics of adoption".  Though I have not done it before I agreed to let Melissa post here because I think it might be an interesting way to share multiple perspectives on the complicated (and often contentious) subject.

To that end, if you would like to share your thoughts on an issue of importance to the adoption/orphan discussion I welcome you to submit a post for consideration.  While this is generally a blog written by and for adoptive parents, I personally would welcome insight from adoptees, birth/first/natural families as well as other stakeholders.  I remain hopeful that we can learn from one another.

Send your submissions to fiveofmyown@gmail.com

  

*****

Prelude to the Main Message

I wanted to write about the how the US government must grasp the dire urgency facing the plight of
children in orphanages around the world due to the numerous bureaucratic slowdowns in processing
international adoption paperwork. But before I even start my thesis, I know that I will be confronted
with comments about domestic adoptions, corruption in international adoption, and the discussion
about fostering and/or sponsoring. So let me address those before I get t what I believe is the root of
the current crisis in international adoption. (Note: I’m assuming here that Lori will permit me to guest
blog again.)


First of all, some ground rules. Address your comments, criticism, debates, and arguments to me. My
name is Melissa. I can take it (although not as well as I take praise but nonetheless.) Do not flame, spam, or drag Lori or anyone else into this dialogue. These are my words and my opinions. If you disagree with me, fine. Tell me why. And if I don’t see your rebuttal, that’s fine as well. Let’s agree to disagree. 

Some things are set in stone and can never be changed. I can accept that and I hope you can too. Just as we’ll never convince a Red Sox fan that the Yankees rock (or vice versa), or that University of Michigan football is far superior than Ohio State, or that Lee Majors as the Bionic Man was far dreamier than David Soul in Starsky and Hutch. Moving on…no cussing, no name throwing, and don’t attack on the personal level. Let’s have this dialogue as adults. You may learn something and I may learn something. Or maybe not. And that’s okay. 

And finally, if you are making a statement as a truth, back it up with facts, don’t make general assumptions.

So here we go.

I get it. I heard all the arguments and I get what people are saying when it comes to the pros and cons of adoption and international adoption but the pendulum swings both ways.

Argument #1: It is beneficial for the child to foster them as opposed to adopting. You are not taking them away from their biological families. It is less selfish as it is more about meeting the child’s needs than the adults’.

My response: Fostering is a tough and caring job but there are also non-altruistic motives involved in
some cases as well. Unlike adoption, domestic or international, the US government pays families who
foster. The child’s insurance is covered by the government until the child is 18. The average payment
foster families receive is $300 per month per child. (Source Link Here)

According to a 2003 survey not only were companionship and community stated as reasons for fostering but “among some parents, to supplement family income.” (Source Link Here)



Argument #2: The international adoption world is corrupt with children being sold on the black
market.

My response: True and undeniable, hence changes do need to be made to ensure the perpetrators are
punished and not the children. Fortunately, there are tools and resources to help prospective parents
research ethical and legal agencies and how to spot red flags. The US embassies in these countries also

have methods in place to help determine the validity of each adoption. Some of these methods are
faulty and outdated and need to be updated but a system is currently in place.

Needless to say, domestic adoption isn’t immune to black market baby selling either. Just last month a
woman in Washington tried to sell her baby for $500 at a Taco Bell.  (Source Link Here) Last summer a couple tried to sell their baby at Walmart for a mere $25. (Source Link Here) In some cases in the US, pregnant women are scamming prospective adoptive parents by seeking financial aid from numerous couples only to disappear. (Source Link Here)

In the cases where kids are being stolen from biological families, it’s happening here in the US too. Some unscrupulous people are stealing babies out of hospitals minutes after they are born. (Source Link Here)

Argument # 3: There are many kids in the US in need of homes – no need to look overseas for kids to adopt.

My response: That’s true. There are kids EVERYWHERE in need of homes, love, and families. However, in the US, there is governmental support in place for ALL kids in the foster/adopt realm such as free health care, education, and a place to live. (Source Link Here) This is not always true overseas in many countries where the basic necessities are not provided by the government. In essence, those are the kids that are in dire need because there are no safety nets for them.

Argument #4: Adoption in general is evil and a gateway to abuse since blood is thicker than water. People cannot love an adopted child as a biological one.

My response: Blood is like water – transferable and can be bought at a market, but unlike water, it’s
gross when you step in a puddle of it. Not all adoptive parents are like Terry Hanson of Tennessee who
put her adoptive son on a plane back to Russia nor like the woman on the Dr. Phil show who put hot
sauce in her adoptive son’s mouth when he told a lie. The majority of us adoptive parents (international
and domestic) do good. We love are children more than life itself. I would give up my own life for my
daughter.

By the same token, biological parents have faults too. Not all but some. Remember Susan Smith who
drowned her three biological kids in a lake in order to woo a guy? This summer an Ohio woman was
found guilty of cooking her biological child in a microwave. (Source Link Here) . A Louisiana dad beheaded his seven year old biological son with a meat clever last week.  (Source Link Here)

Argument #5: If Americans want to help a child overseas, they should sponsor the child’s family.

My response: In theory, not a bad suggestion but the reality doesn’t always work this way. In some
countries, pregnancy (even from rape) is not only taboo and ‘shames the family’ but is cause for death
for the woman. (Source Link Here) So in cases like this, when the woman most likely values her life, a sponsorship or even knowledge of the pregnancy would do more harm than good. Sometimes, in lieu of pregnancy termination, the woman goes into hiding until she gives birth and then puts her child in an orphanage for adoption.

Argument #6: Not all kids in orphanages are true orphans.

My response: That is true. In fact, this is a universal truth, meaning it also applies here in the US. Not
all kids available for adoption or live as wards of the State or County are true orphans. Yet these kids as well as those in orphanages, all of them, would thrive in a family setting.

Argument #7: Adoptive parents tend to be baby collectors.

My response: Two words: Michelle Duggar. (all biological on top of that)

The list here can go on but I think I’ve made my point.

In no way, shape or form do I mean to belittle, dismiss, or bemoan anyone’s personal experience. I understand there is a lot of pain involved when it comes to adoption: some children are adopted into less-than-loving families; some children have come into families by unethical and immoral means; some parents regret their decisions to relinquish, and so on. There is also a lot of pain in the biological family structure: abuse, shame, and disrespect. My goal was simply to point out some of the more common arguments I’ve heard against international adoption and to address them. I wanted to show that international adoption is not the root of evil and the alternatives are not always as rosy. The end result is that children need parents and where anyone comes from shouldn’t be the issue.

                                                        ---Melissa

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Adoptive Parents: We're not the Enemy

I was emotional and upset the last I wrote on this subject. Let me try again.

I believe in international adoption... as a last resort safety valve for children in need of permanent family care (particularly for special needs and older children).

I also believe it is and has been a beautiful way to grow our family.

I do not believe that even the best institutional care can ever substitute for the emotional, physical and developmental support of a family. (The fact that we use terms like “typical institutional delay” is a testimony to this.)

I do not believe adoption is a civic or patriotic duty. If I choose to adopt a child from another country it does not mean I rejected a child here (at least no more than the person who does not adopt at all).

********

It’s complicated but important for adoptive parents to understand there is an emerging anti international adoption movement afoot. At present I would certainly not say this is a movement with mainstream public support but it is out there and apparently ready to attack (based on recent comments here) those of us promoting the continued NEED for international adoption.

It should not come as a surprise to the adoption community that following the widespread corruption and child trafficking in Guatemala, Vietnam and now Ethiopia that the world community would call for reform. This is an appropriate response and one most adoptive parents support.

Anti-international adoption activists however want IA closed. Not reformed. Not improved. Closed.

In my opinion extreme positions such as these do not advance the conversation and can never lead to any meaningful solutions.

Adoptive parents (many of whom witnessed first-hand the harshness of orphanage life) feel an obligation to keep the doors of IA open. Not so that more “product” is available to adoptive parents (as the anti-adoption rhetoric would go) but so that the children left behind have the greatest opportunity to find a family.

As an active member of the adoptive parent community I find it inconceivable that any of us would support child trafficking or laundering, birth mother coercion, unnecessary family disruption  or any other corrupt, unethical behavior. To do so would be a lose-lose-lose proposition ... for the child... the birth family...and us!

Has it happened...unwittingly? Yes.  Certainly no adoptive parent I know argues this point. Unintentionally adoptive parents have played a role in the problem. We "adopters" paid money (not nearly as much as is reported by the way…but enough) that provided an economic incentive for wrong doing by corrupt governments, orphanage officials, unethical "non profit" agencies and criminals.

But (and this is important) we adoptive families, who often spend our life savings and go into debt to adopt, who invest far more in terms of time, energy and love into these children, who are devastated and left ruined when it turns out our adoptions are fraudulent, WE TOO ARE VICTIMS OF THIS BROKEN SYSTEM.

Pitting the adoptive parents as the bad guy makes no sense. Don't you think WE too were reporting irregularities to the State Department? Were we not calling our Senators, warning others to avoid bad agencies and programs, sickened by every report of adoptions gone wrong? Do you understand we too were coerced and lied to and manipulated by the real evil doers? When an adoption is completed under fraudulent circumstances adoptive parents are as much the victim as anyone.

Adoptive parents have EVERYTHING TO GAIN by rooting out wrong doing in adoption.

While the simplistic response might be to shut down all IA, AP's who have held children  languishing in wretched institutional care, feel duty bound to keep this vital safety valve open. Because for many of them, especially older and special needs children, it's their only hope.

It seems to me that these goals are not mutually exclusive of one another.

A note to those who wish to comment:  This blog is MINE.  I'm an AP writing for friends and other AP's.  You can guess the bent.  You knew what you were in for a nanosecond after you got here.  So while you don't have to agree you don't have to flame out on me either. (For goodness sake I'm amateur blogger on a free blog service-how do I threaten you??)  I read blogs all the time, by adoptees, birth mothers etc and often I am down right hurt and insulted by what I find BUT I never flame because the conversation is NOT MINE.  A little mutual respect is all I ask.  I mean it's not as if I forced you here.

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Sick of IA Critics

I'm sickened. I'm angry.  I am down right pissed. And I WANT TO JUST THROW THIS COMPUTER ACROSS THE ROOM.


 This beautiful little girl is being allowed to waste away in an orphanage.

And while my heart breaks for her and the family that wants needs her home NOW,  I can't help but think about all these self appointed IA  "activists" who deem (oh so academically, because none of them are serving in China or Ethiopia or any other "victimized sending country") international adoption to be evil and adoptive parents the evil doers.

(oh sure they don't say all...they begrudgingly allow that some adoptions (as if they are the minority) are necessary last resort options and of course some AP's better than just evangelizing dolts out to save the word as they conspire with child abductors. But just some. Grrrr.)

What did they call it now?

cultural genocide?


colonialism?


innately corrupt?
 

What was that they accused me of being?

Overly dramatic for suggesting children "rot" in orphanages?

A rich woman with an Angelina Jolie celebrity fixation preying on the poor women of the third world?

Didn't they chastise me because I wanted to march in DC to bring attention to the unnecessary bureaucracy in the IA process? Because unnecessary bureaucracy and delay is a good thing...for this child?

Well right now, as I type with tears still in my eyes I say to you... broad brush, anti adoption "activists"...

until you can fix THIS....


SHUT UP!


Until you are really willing to talk about how to protect children.... from trafficking and laundering and inappropriate separation from birth families WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY &  WITH EQUAL EMPHASIS protecting them from the abuse and starvation and institutional neglect they suffer, I don't want to hear it. 

No, IA (like this world we live in) is not perfect, but in many cases it is necessary.  And no, international adoption is not the first option, but once the better options are eliminated it is a good option-in fact it can be a very good one.

A solution that balances the overarching issues that cause children to become "orphans" with the real time needs of children already "orphaned" is required... because we can't shouldn't ask Katerina to DIE WAITING for a politically correct solution.  Anything less is about promoting an agenda...at the expense of children in crisis.

At Katerina's expense.

Is that enough 'NUANCE" for one evil adoptive parent?

...to my fellow AP evil doers's please reach out to this mom and give her your support.  Pray for her and her daughter and for the staff at this orphanage. 

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Just thought you'd like to know...

Marvielles Jewelry has teamed with Both Ends Burning to create a limited edition (only 120 pieces to be created) memorable necklace in support of the Empty Stroller March (now called "Step Forward for Orphans") that will be held in Washington, D.C. on 8/26/11.  A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the necklaces will be donated to Both Ends Burning to further the mission. 

 Necklaces are the standard 16". The stroller charm is silver plated (lead and nickel free) and the chain is satin rope. Only $16 and free shipping within the USA (outside USA is $3). Purchase via Paypal to info@marviellesjewelry.com.

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What role do IAP's play in child trafficking?

I am sure by now most of you have heard about the recent order by a Guatemalan court about a child who was kidnapped and subsequently adopted by a family in Missouri. The court has ordered the child to be returned to the birth mother.

If not you can read about it here.

I've read a lot of pretty awful comments on this topic; many condemning the adoptive parents. It's hard to read because well, I AM an adoptive parent.

The whole situation is an absolute tragedy...for EVERYONE involved. There is a huge debate about what should be done in the aftermath but honestly I don't want to get into that here.

Instead, I simply want to ask a question...to you...my readers...who are mostly adoptive parents (I think).

What role, if any,  do we as adoptive parents play in child trafficking/child laundering? 

Since I know this is a loaded question and pretty much waving a red flag in front of the "all IA is bad" contingency, I am asking that only those who have actually adopted internationally and are willing to comment under a public ID respond.

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USCIS Fingerprinting Today

We've lost count of how many times we've been here but its enough that today we had a whole lot of indignant attitude.

Got to love all the signs demanding "no pictures" and "turn off your cell phones". Why?

So you can't see this...

an empty waiting room?

Really we needed to wait a month before you could fit us into your busy biometric schedule?

Whatever.

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Adoption Political Correctness

(Thanks Julie M for sending this too me. I needed the laugh.)

OK your turn, what was the dumbest thing someone has said to you about adoption? How did you respond?

Is it better to ignore, retort in a coy or snarky fashion, civilly but directly confront the inappropriateness of the comment or just tell them to piss off and walk away?

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Open Response...

The comments field wont allow me to post my entire response to a reader who left a thoughtful but critical comment on my post about the Empty Stroller March.

Rather than break up the message in the the comments field and hope it is read I'm responding here.


Zander I really wish you left a way to link back to you.  When you take that much space on my blog I think I should at least get that.  sigh

Anyway...

You are right THIS particular post is simple, meant to promote a particular action and to resonate with a particular group of people (my wonderful readers and fellow adoptive parents).  The post was simple but then again how many people really understand the nuances of the US health care system?  Not many, but they do know it is broken and needs improvement.  THAT simple emotion filled response is what forced health reform to center stage, not a sophisticated understanding of the economic details.
It is much the same here.

You suggested that by using strollers covered in tape we were somehow ignoring older kids...this is a wrong perception but I get it. The strollers are a dramatic tool intended to elicit an emotional reaction and (hopefully) bring much needed attention to the topic, not an implied preference for babies. (If you come here often you will know I have not adopted infants, my kids all had special needs and I advocate for older kids needing families.  BUT the reality is babies evoke emotion and a biological response to protect and that's what we are going for.)


Do not confuse marketing with substance.

Here are the initial goals for BEB taken from their website which I linked to my post.

    * First, BEB Solutions will conduct onsite visits in sending and receiving countries. In-country visits will undertake process mapping, root cause analysis and needs analysis. BEB Solutions will then develop process improvement plans and pilot with partner countries.

    * Next, we will host a Summit of Nations International Adoption Conference, which will engage global child welfare leaders in thoughtful dialog regarding best practices, problems and challenges, and potential solutions in order to compress the adoption timeline. Dr. Charles Nelson, Research Director, Developmental Medicine Research, Children’s Hospital Boston will be the key note speaker at the conference.

    * Lastly, BEB is currently supporting the production of a feature length documentary film that will serve as a catalyst in educating the world about the international adoption crisis. The project will reveal the full scope and complexity of international adoption today, showcasing the successes as well as the struggles in the modern-day efforts to find permanent families for parent-less children. Filming will take place on four continents and feature the key players in the international adoption scene: child development experts, policymakers, families, and the biggest stakeholders of all: children. The film is one of the many major projects planned by BEB to reverse the declining trend, by promoting a culture of adoption as a positive, expeditious alternative for orphaned children once attempts at family reunification and domestic adoption have failed. The film is tentatively scheduled for completion in Fall 2011.


BEB's nor my thoughts on the subject are simplistic.  Our mutual  goal is to INCREASE safeguards for children which include the removal of UNNECESSARY delays (red tape) in the current adoption system. The basic tenet of the program is the removal of commerce from the process of adoption. 

Red Tape benefits no one and the child is the one hurt the most. I do not suggest that rules and safe guards be removed but rather standardized.  I advocate for a standardized process for all sending countries based on best practices.  I want a process immune from corruption and inefficiency,while safe guarding all members of the triad.

A couple other thoughts on your comments

- I disagree, international adoption should not be a last choice...while I will agree family reunification and domestic adoption are preferred the last choice is starvation, life on the streets, institutions and waiting longer than one absolutely must to be placed in a permanent family.

-the over arching issues that cause children to become orphans are great and require much resource, political will and time to change.  These are important issues but I have chosen to focus my time and energy on what to do in the meantime with kids that suffer NOW and can not wait (or its too late to matter) for the big fix. (Would you criticize those who work for Make a Wish Foundation for not focusing on curing cancer?)

-regarding the allegation of colonialism/entitled rich Americans, well I guessed you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.  I'm erring on the side of "do"

-And, I DO want to make it easier for adoptive parents but that does not mean not fully vetting parents.  In fact we need to do a better job on that front to.  Unfortunately prospective parents today are mostly vetted by their  net worth and ability to navigate the inefficient and often corrupt process.  I would much rather focus on training and preparation of parents. Hopefully we will get there.



-regarding this notion that we are stepping over kids here to adopt kids there...honestly I find that to be offensive and racist, no different than suggesting I as white woman should only marry another white man.   Multiculturalism is not something to be feared. In our home it is celebrated and we are richer for it. We are a proud German, Portuguese, Swedish, Kazakh, Russian, Chinese AMERICAN family.

-RAD and the emotional consequences you mention are generally caused by the trauma of abandonment and institutional care, not adopting parents....in this case WE ARE THE GOOD GUYS.

Zander I sense you are an advocate for adoptee rights and I want you to know we are NOT on opposite sides.  We are each participants in an imperfect system needing major overhaul. And I'm trying to help make change for good....for all of us.

PS I would love to continue the conversation (NOT DEBATE) but please leave some direct contact info.  My email is loriprinty@gmail.com.  I want to understand.

Hey Zander, did you at least vote for me?

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AP's Go to Washington

And I want you to come with me.

For the Empty Stroller March on the US Capital on August 26th.

The march is being organized by the Both Ends Burning Campaign, a global movement to transform the broken system of international adoption.
During the march protestors will be pushing empty strollers wrapped in red tape to represent the bureaucracy that prevents children from being with families.

WHO: Both Ends Burning Campaign
WHAT: “Empty Stroller” March on the U.S. Capitol.
WHEN: 2:00 pm; Aug. 26, 2011
WHERE: START: Children’s Carousel on National Mall
END: Upper Senate Park, Washington, D.C. 20001

Here is why I’m getting involved;

Both Ends Burning (BEB) is a campaign focused on transforming the process of international adoption.

A process that I have personally been both benefactor and victim of... I have been given two (soon to be three) beautiful daughters through international adoption BUT the process has been riddled with inefficiency, unnecessary delays, corruption, and exorbitant expense. It's broken and the fact that I "got out" with my girls isn't good enough.  The system needs to be fixed for the next family and the child still waiting for them.

BEB believes that growing up in a family is a child’s most basic human right.

As far as I’m concerned anything that gets in the way of this is an abuse. I know the arguments; heritage preservation, confirmed orphan status, child trafficking, they are all legitimate concerns. But I am taking about true orphaned kids waiting because of red tape, lack of funds, bureaucratic inefficacy and lack of political will. Don’t let anyone fool you; there is NO supply and demand issue here, just kids who need parents and QUALIFIED parents being blocked at every turn!


KAZ PARENTS HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD ADOPT ANOTHER CHILD FROM KAZ IF YOU COULD? IF KZ WAS OPEN, AND YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO COME UP WITH $50KOR LIVE THERE FOR 2 MONTHS? HOW ARE THE KIDS IN THE BABY HOUSES BETTER OFF TODAY, CLOSED OFF TO Families?

BEB also believes there must be a reduction in the amount of time it takes to place orphan children in their forever families in order to decrease the detrimental effects of institutionalization and for these children to be able to reach their full potential.

This is perhaps the most personal for me. Right now my daughter is ROTTING in an orphanage getting NONE of the services and LOVE that she is entitled to only because we, HER FAMILY, must wait for the red tape to process. WHY IS IT TAKING USCIS 90 DAYS TO PROCESS THE I800A FORM? As an adoption community we are very good about helping one another navigate the red tape but it is not enough. WE NEED TO CUT THE RED TAPE NOW AND FOREVER MORE.

CHINA PARENTS MOST OF US ARE ADOPTING KIDS WITH MEDICAL NEEDS, HOW CRITICAL ARE THOSE MONTHS OF USCIS DELAY TO OUR CHILDREN! WHY IS OUR OWN GOVERNMENT ALLOWED TO TAKE NEARLY A THOUSAND DOLLAR FEE AND GIVE SUCH CRAPPY SERVICE!!

HEY USCIS THEY ARE KIDS NOT CASES. HURRY UP!

And so I’m going to Washington and I’m going to push my taped up empty stroller and I’m going to hope and pray that somehow enough of us show up that someone in authority will care enough to do the right thing

So if you want to join me PLEASE DO. Leave a comment here or email me directly. Once I know who is coming I will arrange for meeting points, hotels and even driving buddies.

If you can’t go please sign the petition to end the red tape, consider joining BEB’s Campaign to improve international adoption and share this post with your friends in the adoption community.

And check out this video, it's spot on!  (BTW-and totally random- this is the kid from the viral "all the single ladies" video-too funny.)

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Numbers

143 Million Orphans in the world


More than 87.6 Million of them in Asia


6% of ALL children in Asia are Orphans


Here are 2 Less...

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