Haitian Adoption Delays

As many of you know, we waited 2 years for Kenson to come home. Now with Conleigh's adoption, I am afraid to say that we may be waiting even longer than 2 years. As many of you know, we are currently stuck in the office which approves families for Haitian adoptions. We are being held there because we are now too young to adopt from Haiti. I know, we were old enough with Kenson but now we're not. It makes no sense. It's all connected to Haitian adoption laws being old and outdated. They were approved in 1974. The laws set the requirements at being 35, married ten years, and having no biological children. Because these laws are so limited, the Haitian officials who process adoptions essentially reinvent the laws to allow children to be adopted. Over time, there have been generally accepted practices which allowed us to be approved the first time around. Now, there is more scrutiny from UNICEF. Now, different officials are in different offices and have changed the practices. Haiti needs new, updated adoption laws. New laws have been in the works for probably 18 months now. Drafts have been written. But nothing has been done to ratify the draft. And some say, the draft should be rewritten to better help children. Regardless of if you approve of the draft, something needs to be done as Haitian adoptions are crawling along. An children's advocacy group is requesting that concerned citizens band together over the next three days to contact a variety of government entities who can help institute change. I would ask for you to consider contacting someone from this site. Not only might it help bring Conleigh home, but it would beneift many other adoptive families be united with their children. And it would help orphanages better serve children. Many orphanages turn away children on a daily basis because they are full, stretched to the limit by lengthy adoptions that keep children in their care longer than if the adoptions were completed in a more timely way. Don't get me wrong: this is not about making speedy adoptions. Adoptions should take some time. Research should be done to insure birth parents really intend to make adoption plans for their children. But two or three years is too long for children to wait.