Bill tightens adoption rules
Guatemalan legislators approved a bill that tightens adoption guidelines but allows pending cases, mostly involving U.S. couples, to go through without meeting the stricter requirements.
President Oscar Berger is expected to sign the measure, enabling Guatemala to comply with an international agreement designed to protect adopted children from human trafficking.
The country sent 4,135 children to the U.S. last year, making it the largest source of babies for American families after China. The new measure prohibits birth parents from being paid and creates an oversight agency.
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