Hague Orphan Immunization Bill

I wanted to pass this information along to all of you adoption advocates out there. This was a recent post over at the Johnson Family Blog:

Those who are embroiled in the new post-Hague I-800 process are currently experiencing an unexpected result of the Hague implementation. Prior to 1997, internationally adopted children often were subject to massive numbers of vaccinations in Guangzhou in order to satisfy United States immigration requirements. In 1997, Congress unanimously approved a law amending immigration law and allowing adopting parents to bring a notarized vaccination waiver with them to the Consulate in Guangzhou instead, saying they would take care of their childrens' vaccinations upon returning safely home and under the supervision and advice of their own physician. For nearly 12 years this process has gone on without any problem, complaint or concern.

Another exemption (which does not apply to Chinese orphans) was passed in 1999-again unanimously - which provided for an exemption for older siblings of adopted orphans to also be able to be adopted into the same family (otherwise the age limit on the US side is less than 16).

Then, in 2006, Congress amended the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to comply with the newly-signed Hague Convention. Unfortunately, they did this by creating a new definition of orphan child - complete with new section number and reference in the INA. But all the previously approved protections and exemptions only specifically referenced the original section number of the original definition of orphan child. These protections were LOST because they
did not specifically reference the new definition, and because whoever wrote the law did not check for cross-references in other parts of the law!! Because these cross-references in the INA were not checked, vaccination waivers went from being available to all internationally adopted orphans to only those from NON-Hague countries. The Notice from the Guangzhou Consulate-General is below:

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cnnotice_on_vaccination_requirements081219\.html

There is a bill right now in the Senate Judiciary Committee to correct this mistake. It is Senate Bill 1376. The link to the bill is here:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1376

It has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. It will then go to the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. The link to the Subcommittee is below, and contains links to contact information for Committee members.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committee.xpd?id=SSJU4

The Subcommittee members are:

Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY]
Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX]
Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]
Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]
Sen. Charles Grassley [R-IA]
Sen. Jon Kyl [R-AZ]
Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]
Sen. Jefferson Sessions [R-AL]
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]
Sen. Ron Wyden [D-OR]

If you live in one of these states, please contact your Senator and ask them to act on Senate Bill 1376 and re-instate the protections and exemptions that Congress so unanimously approved in 1997 and 1999, and which clearly were accidentally not extended to orphans covered under the Hague Convention.

Thanks for your help!

Vaccinations

And now back to the topic of vaccinations...the last few weeks since being home, I've been asked by government workers, paperwork, and doctors -- "HAS YOUR CHILD BEEN VACCINATED SINCE BEING IN THE U.S.?" Geez, I just got home! Will you give me a chance to catch my breath, people!

In response to the maddening question, I am reading Dr. Sears' The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, and can honestly say, I'm feeling much more equipped and confident to handle the whole vaccination debate. After twelve years of research on the topic, Dr. Sears compiles excellent information on each of the childhood vaccinations. I highly recommend his book for other parents treading this subject with certain trepidation. While he's not against vaccinations, Dr. Sears does offer pertinent information and an alternative schedule for those parents who like to weigh all the facts before making a decision...because let's face it, the FDA does have its recalls occasionally and doctors are learning more about diseases in med school, than about the vaccines that prevent them. Yes, public health is absolutely important, but parents should not feel guilty about being their child's advocate first. We should not be intimidated about wanting to feel comfortable with the facts before making these kinds of decisions for our children. That's our absolute right as parents.

And, for your reading pleasure, go here .

The Great Vaccination Debate

This is a very interesting article related to the Great Vaccination Debate that I found via Healthy Parenting. Granted, our child will have already had some vaccinations, as required, in China; however, many American pediatricians won't run an antibody titer on the child (they claim it's not very accurate) and instead recommend a re-vaccination of ALL vaccines. I'm not cool with that. I'd rather have an incomplete blood test than pump my 16 lb. baby with a double dose of vaccinations, whose safety is still in question. I've talked with the pediatrician that we plan to use and she is willing to work with us on an alternative vaccination schedule. Meanwhile, I'll continue to research the pros and cons. Read the article if you too are contemplating vaccinating your child.

Vaccination Debate

I need to begin researching the great vaccination debate. This is a controversial issue; however, it's one that mustn't be taken too lightly. Yes, vaccinations have saved many lives, but, in some cases, are they linked to adverse effects? The good news is that parents have options and have the opportunity to make the best choice for their child. I just found this recently and was excited to hear that Dr. Sears' son has come out with a book about this topic. There's another book by Stephanie Cave, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations, that I'd like to read. I plan to do lots more digging. If you have tips, please leave a post.