Children's Home Society of Minnesota
Dear Parents and Friends of Adoption,
Thank you! Because of your efforts, progress is being made on the Vietnam intercountry
adoption moratorium!
According to information we received, Vietnamese government officials reported
that the recent intercountry adoption talks between Maura Harty of the U.S. Department
of State and the Vietnamese government were productive. The two parties discussed
a possible agreement that could end the intercountry adoption moratorium by the
beginning of 2005. Vietnamese officials are sending the proposed agreement to
their governing body, and they are optimistic that processing for special needs
adoption for waiting children could begin in early next year and that infant adoptions
could follow soon thereafter.
The news is very exciting, and we need to keep the momentum moving forward. What
needs to be done is to follow up with our government to see that they continue
to expeditiously move the process forward. In the next two weeks, please join
families throughout the U.S. in re-contacting Maura Harty and your congressional
representatives. Let them know that you are aware of the meetings in Vietnam,
thank them for their work, and encourage them to push for a working agreement
as soon as possible.
We have included contact information to aid your efforts. We are hoping for your
thousands of letters, e-mails, and/or phone calls to confirm our commitment to
this effort. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Vollmers at kvollmers@chsfs.org
or (651) 255-2249. We do not know any more than what we have already provided
in this letter, but we will keep you informed.
Thank you again for advocating for the children of Vietnam. The collective voice
of the adoption community indeed does matter!
Sincerely,
David Pilgrim
Vice President of Adoption Services
and CHSFS International Adoption Staff
CONTACT INFORMATION
Local & National Congressional Representatives
Go to www.congress.org to find your local
and national representatives and their contact information. At the top of the
page, you will see "Write Elected Officials," which will give you four
different options on how to contact your representatives. Choose the zip code
option (the most user friendly) by entering your zip code in the space provided,
and then select "Go." You will be able to view your federal, state,
and local representatives' information.
Maura Harty
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Room 6811
Washington, DC 20520
Website: contact-us.state.gov
E-mail: Go to contact-us.state.gov/ask_form_cat/ask_form_secretary.html
Telephone: 202.647.9576 or 888.407.4747 and ask for Assistant Secretary of State
for Consular Affairs Maura Harty's Office