2007年VOA标准英语-Guatemala Adoption Boom Creates Controversy

By Greg Flakus
Guatemala City
13 September 2007

Every year, thousands of people from the United States visit the Central American nation of Guatemala, not just for tourism, but to adopt babies. Last year, more than 4,000 Guatemalan children were adopted by US citizens. But critics say the demand for young Guatemalan children has created an illicit¹ market in which babies are bought and sold and, in some cases, even stolen from their birth mothers. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from Guatemala City.

Guatemala

In some Guatemala City hotels, there are special play rooms for babies and the parents who are staying there while finalizing² the adoption³ process. Acquiring a baby here usually costs around $30,000, although the US embassy has evidence of local lawyers milking adopting parents for as much as $70,000. Since the adoption process in Guatemala is so lacking in controls, stories of abuse are abundant.

But most couples coming here from the United States say they have had few problems. They see themselves as fortunate, in that they can easily adopt a baby here, and as altruistic⁴, in that they believe they are rescuing these children from what would be a life of poverty.

Scott and Theresa Ellinger came here from Ohio to pick up the little girl they have named Enya, after the Irish singer. They carried out most of the adoption procedure through an agency in the United States and only came here for a short stay to finalize⁵ the adoption and obtain the U.S. visa needed to bring the baby back.

Scott Ellinger says he has no doubt they are doing something good for this child. "We are helping⁶ to take her to a better country and give her a better life," he said.

But not all babies put up for adoption come from dire⁷ poverty and human rights groups argue that foreigners wishing to adopt tend to ignore some of the children in most need of adoption, mostly older children who have been abused or neglected. Most people coming here to adopt want a baby who will grow up knowing only with its adoptive parents.

The high demand for babies has produced a dark side to the adoption scene in Guatemala. One person who has seen that side is Marisol Lopez Donillas, a 20-year- old unwed mother, who says she almost lost her child, Jesus, to unscrupulous baby traffickers.

She says when she was alone and pregnant, a woman approached her offering 17,000 Quetzales, about $2,200, for her baby. But she later relented and sought help at Casa Alianza, a human rights organization that has been complaining about abuses in Guatemala's adoption system for over a decade.

Marisol says foreigners coming here to adopt should reconsider. She says this is not a game, that a baby is born to its mother and someone else should not come and take it away as if it were an animal.

In the colonial city of Antigua, authorities recently discovered a clandestine⁸ nursery, with 46 children taken from various women. In some cases, babies have been kidnapped for these operations.

Child snatching stories are rampant¹⁰ in Guatemala's indigenous¹¹ Mayan communities. The fear is so widespread that there have been cases of rural people attacking tourists who take photos of children or who attempt to talk to children.

In spite of all the stories of black market babies and kidnappings, people coming here to adopt believe they are doing the right thing. Theresa Ellinger says she is certain the agency she worked with is not involved in any corrupt¹² activity.

"Yes, there may be cases where that happens, but when you work with an accredited¹³, licensed¹⁴, reputable agency in the United States, that is just not something you worry about," she said.

One reason the Ellingers are confident is that the United States now requires DNA⁹ testing of each child as part of the visa approval process.

At the U.S. embassy, Consul¹⁵ General John Lowell says those tests have helped prevent baby switching and other schemes, but people seeking to adopt still need to be careful. "Because this is a system with no regulation, no oversight¹⁶ whatsoever¹⁷, when things go wrong, there is really nothing in place to help," he said.

But things may be about to change, as both Guatemala and the United States plan to commit to the Hague Convention, an international agreement that sets standards for adoption programs. Lowell says U.S. compliance¹⁸ with the convention, sometime early next year, will put pressure on Guatemala to reform.

"If Guatemala does not ratify¹⁹ and implement²⁰ the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption, we will be forced to end adoptions²¹ from Guatemala," he said.

Some of the people seeking babies here in Guatemala say they came here partly because of its relative proximity²² to the United States. A flight from Houston or Miami is less than three hours. But, they say, if they were wanting to adopt another child and Guatemala were no longer an option, they would travel much farther away, to Russia or China, where similar conditions exist for adopting babies and very young children.

1 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

2 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

3 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

4 altruistic   

adj.无私的，为他人着想的

参考例句：

• It is superficial to be altruistic without feeling compassion.无慈悲之心却说利他，是为表面。
• Altruistic spirit should be cultivated by us vigorously.利他的精神是我们应该努力培养的。

5 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

8 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

9 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

10 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

11 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

12 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

13 accredited   

adj.可接受的；可信任的；公认的；质量合格的v.相信( accredit的过去式和过去分词 )；委托；委任；把…归结于

参考例句：

• The discovery of distillation is usually accredited to the Arabs of the 11th century. 通常认为，蒸馏法是阿拉伯人在11世纪发明的。
• Only accredited journalists were allowed entry. 只有正式认可的记者才获准入内。

14 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

15 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

16 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

17 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

18 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

19 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

20 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

21 adoptions   

n.采用，收养( adoption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Adoption agencies are always so open to alternative family adoptions. 领养中介机构永远都对领养家庭敞开。 来自电影对白
• The number of adoptions has grown in the past year. 去年，收养子女的数字增加了。 来自互联网

22 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。