ADA News (English)

The ASSOCIATION DEFENDERS OF ADOPTION (ADA) filed on April 16, 2007, a constitutional challenge against the Manual of Good Practices, before the Constitutional Court, because it violates many of the provisions of our Constitution. According to what the new president of the Court said in his speech of inauguration last week, the purpose of such actions is to prevent illegal situations to take place and to harm the people. It is easier and less expensive to prevent than to cure, said the new president, attorney Victor Hugo Perez Guerra, who was appointed to the CC by the University of San Carlos, the public university. We trust that the suspension of the enforcement of the Manual will be ruled at the beginning of the process, and that eventually, the challenge will be upheld. We are very confident of the success of the challenge, because it is evident that the Executive is abusing its power. The fact that they have not made a serious attempt at enforcing the illegalities of the Manual show that they are aware of the consequences that it would bring if they dare to do it. It is one thing to print a booklet of absurdities, invite the diplomats and some anti adoption entities, give a few speeches and spend the taxpayers money in a reception, than to actually suspend legal processes in mid air, take away children whose birthmothers have made an adoption plan for them and send them to who knows where, because they did not go as far as to set up orphanages for the children. The Secretary of Social Welfare of the Wife of the President has in its website the Manual of Good Practices and the project of “The City of the Children”, that plans to house two hundred and forty children in three separate buildings, each one for eighty children at a cost of more than thirty million quetzals ($US 4,000.00). Too little and too late. A project does not shelter children. Private orphanages do. Private foster care does. It is a pity that Wendy Berger instead of encouraging the good work that the private sector is doing for the children in need of a forever family, has chosen to try to derail it with monstrosities like the Ortega Law and the Manual of Good Practices. The wife of the president of Guatemala only has to be elected by her husband to gain enormous power and influence, in a good or a bad way, the life of many people. She is not an officer of government and has no legal responsibilities. She is not even the director of the office of the wife of the president, because the director is appointed by the president., but she and the wife of the vice president are who decide what the social policy of the government will be. That is something that us Guatemalans have to take into consideration in the elections this year. That we are not only electing president and vice president, but also their wives who could be like Wendy Berger and Mirna Stein. Well meant but ill informed.