Guatemala passes new adoption law

GUATEMALA CITY, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Guatemala passed a new law placing additional restrictions on adoption procedures in the Central American country.

The law puts new restrictions on the use of mediators between adoption agencies and prospective parents, La Prensa Libere newspaper reported Thursday.

It also calls for the creation of a federal adoption agency and bans the payment of money to birth parents.

Guatemalan children are second only to Chinese children in adoptions from abroad in the United States. Nearly 5,000 Guatemalan children were adopted by people in the United States in 2006.