The last time Loyda Rodriguez saw her daughter, the 2-year-old was being whisked into a taxi cab by a stranger in her native Guatemala. It was 2006, and Anyeli Rodriguez became a missing child, a victim of a kidnapping. But now that she's been located, the Guatemalan mom can't simply get her child back. Because the American parents who adopted her think Anyeli is theirs.
So who's right? They both are.
A child's biological parent is a parent. A child's adoptive parent is a parent. There's no clear line in the sand in cases like this. And if there were, it would nullify the whole concept of legal adoption. Biology can't simply trump the love and care that adoptive parents give a child.
And since 2008, Timothy and Jennifer Monahan have been loving and caring for "their daughter," a little girl ABC News reports they thought they'd legally adopted through an agency here in the United States. They've been her parents for four years! And they don't seem like bad people. Although the adoption is considered illegal in Guatemala because the little girl was kidnapped, Guatemalan officials have reportedly cleared the Monahans of any wrongdoing. The blame rests on the shoulders of the people who stole her.
But that doesn't mean Anyeli is theirs. Her biological mom is still alive and very much wants her. Loyda is doing everything she can in the courts to get "her" daughter back.
I don't blame her. I also don't blame the Monahans for holding tight to their little girl. They're both right. If I was on either side, I know I'd be doing everything both sides are doing and then some.
The sad thing is that either way, innocent people are going to be hurt here. Rip a kid who's been living in America for all these years out of the home she knows best, and drop her in Guatemala, and little Anyeli will have it rough. Not to mention the anguish the Monhans would have to go through. On the other hand, leave her in America, and the little girl may feel the pull of her biological family. And her mom and other relatives will most certainly be in pain.
The only choice here, frankly, stinks. These parents need to sit down and do the modern day version of King Solomon's old "cut the baby in half" suggestion. They have to decide what is best for Anyeli, not what's best for either group of adults.
What would you do in this situation? Could you let go of your child if you knew it was better for them?
Image via MegaBu7/Flickr
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Comments 295
Even though it will be hardest on the child, she belongs with her mother, end of story.
For those that try to justify the adoption by saying the child is better off in the US, that's nonsense. I would mountains and claw eyes out for the safety of my children. The article alludes to the fact that the US won't return the child to Guatemala but the biological mother wil continue to fight in a US court. Imagine how absolutely awful for this child to have to live with as she grows up. Knowing she has two families that love her and the subsequent battle for who she belongs with.
sorry but if that was my 2 yo she'd be coming home, i wouldn't care if brangelina adopted her. Such racist attitudes about it being better in the states than in guatamala, how patronizing can you be. the rest of the world sees the news and we all know that yes you do have some lovely opportunities, you also have lots of homlessness and peadophiles too.
about the this girl though, could you imagine if madeleine mccan turned up adopted, you could be sure as shit that little girlwould be going home
So... let me get this straight. A little girl was kidnapped... and has now been found, but there is debate on whether or not she'll go home to her biological mother who still very much wants her?
This is HER child. I understand that the other couple legally adopted her, and this is a horrible situation for the adoptive parents, but if any of us were in the biological mom's shoes, I bet we would fight tooth and nail to get out kids back. I know I would.
Just becaus the adoptive parents live in the US doesn't mean they have more of a right to raise her.
Legally, the standard is what is in the best interest of the child. Without knowing the details, no one can make that determination. Perhaps she remembers her biological mother, most likely she does not. What we do know is that for four years she has lived with a loving family here. Can you really say it's best for the CHILD to be ripped away from that, sent to a foreign country to be with people she doesn't know, without contact from the only parents she remembers? Legally, it's a grey area. There is no black and white here. Would I want my daughter back? Absofreakinlutely I would. But you have to focus on the child, not the adults involved. And I don't think the best thing for the child is to be ripped away and sent back, at least not immediately. There has to be an inbetween, a compromise. And if the three adults involved really love that litle girl, they'll figure it out.
Child belongs to birth mother period. I don't see any gray area here at all.
As painful as it is, the minute they learned that the child had been kidnapped they should have bent over backwards to get that child back to the mother that has been grieving this whole time. Any other action just makes them as guilty. The fact that she is having to fight to get her child back tells me that these people are not fit parents. That is taking selfishness to the extreme.
The child was kidnapped. The new couple are NOT this child's parents, her birth mother is. The birth mother should not have to share custody with two people she doesn't know. I agree with other posters. Right now, the American couple are acting as accomplices in the kidnapping by not returing the child to her parents.
This is sad and painful for everyone involved. If she was kidnapped and found still with her kidnapper, there would be no question that she should go back to her bio family even though life with kidnapper is only one she remembers (remember that kidnapper could be treating her well). This adoptive family loves her as if they gave birth to her. They did nothing wrong but they have a chance to something REALLY RIGHT. GIving the child back is not as simple as handing her over and saying "Here you go.". This will take experts offering counseling to all parties involved. To do what is best for a little girl they all love, they need to work together to slowly help her build a relationship with her bio fam and understand what happened. Most of all, counseling with everyone working together needs to validate to the child that she is loved by everyone and not being discarded by her adoptive parent and that nobody blames her. She should not witness fighting over this. She will feel at fault.