Why Is Adoption So Expensive? - American Adoptions

Why Is Adoption So Expensive?

Explaining the Cost of Adoption

Adoption is a brave choice that is fueled by hope and love from both adoptive parents and birth parents.

Choosing adoption comes from a place of love, so as you begin your preparations, you may look at the cost and begin to have conflicted feelings and questions.

Why does adoption cost money? Will I be able to afford to make my dream of growing my family a reality? And why is adoption so expensive?

This article will help you understand the complex process of adoption and the support and expenses that contribute to the cost of adoption.

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Why Does Adoption Cost Money?

Adoption has a significant cost for most families, and thinking about numbers may initially cause a negative reaction, but it is important to remember that your adoption journey will have an impact that is life-long.

At the end of the process, your new baby will be placed in your arms, and you will have a lifetime with them.

Something this important requires significant support from adoption agencies, social workers, attorneys, counselors and more.

As you learn more about the process of adoption below, you will see the cost of adoption provides support and helps you carry out a legal process, and is not something that you want to cut corners with.

But to really understand the cost of adoption, you have to understand what it takes to complete the process.

If you're a prospective birth mother reading this, you likely have questions about adoption costs and potential financial assistance when placing your child for adoption.

You can get answers to all of your important questions by completing this form to connect with an adoption professional today.

Why Is Adoption So Expensive?

Adoption is expensive because the process to legally adopt a baby requires the involvement of attorneys, social workers, physicians, government administrators, adoption specialists, counselors and more.

While the adoption journey is an emotional one for prospective birth mothers and adoptive families, the adoption process is a legal function.

Adoptions completed by fully licensed agencies are held to high ethical standards, which can mean more paperwork and higher costs.

There is more extensive research on how expensive adoption is, but here is a quick breakdown of some contributing costs:

Agency Fees

Regardless of which type of adoption agency you work with, there will be adoption agency fees to cover the services provided by these professionals and the basic operating costs of the agency.

A key point to pay attention to is whether or not these fees are “fixed,” meaning they will not increase over the course of an adoption.

Additionally, you should ask any professional you are considering whether or not their contract expires. If it does, then your adoption could become exponentially more expensive down the road.

Some agencies will give a low number upfront to entice families to work with them, but then ramp up fees later in the process.

Working with an adoption agency like American Adoptions, whose agency fees are fixed and clearly outlined from the beginning, will prevent these unexpected and unwelcome costs.

Variable Adoption Costs

These are central factors to the question, “Why does adoption cost so much money?”

Variable adoption costs are comprised of expenses that can change in each unique adoption situation.

Typically, these are fees paid toward the needs of the prospective birth mother. The amount of variable adoption costs incurred in a given adoption situation will be dependent on the birth mother’s unique needs, as well as what is allowed by the adoption laws in her state.

Some of these costs can be things like:

Medical Expenses

Medicaid or other insurance may be able to cover some of the prospective birth mother’s medical expenses, and those left over are typically included in variable adoption costs.

Legal Fees

An adoption attorney will be necessary through the legal aspects of adoption, like termination of parental rights and consent to the adoption. The fees for this work are taken on by the adoptive family in most cases.

Travel

If an adoptive family is selected by a birth mother who lives in a different state, there will be travel and lodging costs at the time of placement.

Living Expenses

Depending on the applicable adoption laws, some of the prospective birth mother’s living expenses during pregnancy can fall into the variable adoption costs.

Why do adoptions cost so much? As you can see, the cost is a result of the requirements of the process.

While the cost of adoption may still be disheartening, hopefully, there is some peace of mind in knowing that the expenses are for necessary functions.

American Adoptions plans for worst-case scenarios for variable costs, so the estimated up-front costs may look higher than other agencies, but you can have peace of mind knowing that you won’t be required to find additional funds that were not quoted to you in the beginning.