Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Haitian government is trying to decide how to prosecute 10 American adoption workers. Nine are from Idaho.

They're accused of trying to transport 33 Haitian children out of the country, less than three weeks after the earthquake there.

Northwest adoption agencies say the case is out of the ordinary. Doug Nadvornick reports.

Nine days after the earthquake, 80 Haitian children were flown to Miami to meet their new families. Most of those were placed by Bethany Christian Services, an adoption agency with three Northwest offices.

Spokesman John Van Valkenburg says those adoptions had been processed before the disaster. He says the Idaho case, where there was apparently no permission given, is different.

John Van Valkenburg: "Given the circumstances and the nature of the earthquake, it's a very unusual situation. Right now, new adoptions are on hold, so the country is not accepting applications at this time."

Julie Snyder compares the Haitian situation to the tsunami in southeast Asia five years ago. Snyder works for the World Association for Children and Parents, based in Seattle.

She says, then, adoption officials took more time to document their matches.

Julie Snyder: "I think the last thing that any of us would want would be to bring them into your home and then find out that their father or mother is actually alive and then, you know, they want the child back."

After the earthquake, the Haitian president has insisted that adoptions that are already in the works get his approval first.