On the ground in Haiti, Christian orphan relief workers and missionaries are experiencing opposition from UNICEF, an international abortion provider, and formal opponent to American adoptions of Haitian children.
Step One in UNICEF’s anti-adoption strategy was to attempt to confound the huge outpouring of compassion and adoption interest by the international community, by voicing their concerns and opposition. Step Two was to politicize the capture of ten American missionaries transporting Haitian orphans over the border to the Dominican Republic, by mounting a media campaign to raise concerns about sex trafficking. Given the tremendous financial input of the United Nations, and their massive presence in Haiti, it is understandable why the Haitian government has often been in lock-step with UNICEF priorities.
Now many reports are surfacing from within the American medical community on the ground in Haiti that the prosecution of these American missionaries and the numerous charges of sex trafficking floating in the media, has created a chilling effect on the American volunteer community.
The New York Times reports that:
“Private medical evacuations of critically injured Haitian children to the United States for treatment have largely stopped because aid workers, doctors and government officials are worried about being accused of kidnapping if they transport the children without first getting paperwork that is slow to arrive or is unavailable.
Before 10 Americans were arrested trying to take children out of Haiti late last month, the largest pediatric field hospital in Haiti was airlifting 15 injured children aboard private flights to the United States each day.
But since the arrests, it has been able to evacuate only three children on private flights to American hospitals, according to Elizabeth Greig, the field hospital’s chief administrative officer, who has been in charge of trying to get the necessary Haitian and American approval.
At least 10 other children have died or become worse while waiting to be airlifted out of the country, she said. Dozens of children are in critical need of care, and there has been no shortage of American hospitals or pilots willing to take them.
But before being permitted to evacuate the children, some doctors said they were now being asked by American and Haitian officials for documents proving that the children were orphans or that the adult traveling with them was a parent — a challenging task considering that many residents’ birth certificates and other records remained buried under the rubble.
“They’re all at risk of dying, and none of these children should still be here in Haiti,” said Dr. Shayan Vyas, an American pediatrician changing an IV at the pediatric field hospital, which is based here at the Port-au-Prince airport and handles most of the private pediatric airlifts out of Haiti. The hospital is run by Medishare, a Miami-based charity, and a coalition of hospitals tied to the University of Miami.”
And the implications sometimes mean that the children will simply die.
“Everything has slowed down, and most pilots are backing out of these medical missions with kids,” said Scott Dorfman, a pilot from Atlanta who has flown 50 flights since the earthquake, moving supplies, doctors and patients.
He said he planned on flying a critically ill Haitian baby to an American hospital this week even though he was nervous about it.
“No matter what, I’m not taking off until I know we have those papers in hand,” he said. “If it means the patient doesn’t go, that’s what it means.”
Adding to the list of problems, Ms. Greig argued, the American Customs officials who issue the so-called medical parole forms allowing children to be evacuated have sometimes failed to coordinate with the pilots who need completed forms in hand before they can take off.
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