Original version

BBC World Service Australasia

Witness History

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: History

History as told by the people who were there

History as told by the people who were there.

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

Witness History: My 10-Year Battle to Adopt in Guatemala

Magazines & Reviews

News

Ruth cropped copy.jpg

19/01/2018 GMT

My 10-Year Battle to Adopt in Guatemala

BBC World Service - Witness History, My 10-Year Battle to Adopt in Guatemala

How Guatemala's changes in law scuppered Ruth Sheehan's attempt to adopt a baby boy

How Guatemala's changes in its adoption laws in 2007 scuppered American Ruth Sheehan's attempt to adopt a baby boy from Central America.

In 2007 Guatemala overhauled its much-criticised adoption system. All future foreign adoptions were immediately suspended, while some 3,000 cases already underway were caught in legal limbo. Many of these cases have taken years to resolve. American Ruth Sheehan tells Mike Lanchin about her long struggle to secure the adoption of Luis, a young Guatemalan child she first met ten years ago.

(Photo: Ruth Sheehan with Luis in Guatemala City, courtesy of Ruth Sheehan)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Witness History

My 10-Year Battle to Adopt in Guatemala

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Australasia

About BBC World Service