AboutRoberta Rosenberg Expertise International Adoption - I am an active member of the adoption community. I have 3 children, 2 adopted from Korea. I can answer all questions about Korean adoption, most questions on international. What I do not know I can easily find out.
(PLEASE NOTE: I cannot answer any questions involving immigration/family adoption legal issues. These matters of local/state/federal law should be discussed with a qualified attorney.)
Experience Beyond my own personal experience as an adoptive parent, I'm also the developer of several websites related to adoption. Adopting from Korea (www.adoptkorea.com) and AdoptShoppe (www.adoptshoppe.com) are just two of my current sites.
My husband & I have recently began doing some research on international adoption and are flabbergasted at the costs we are seeing on the internet to adopt an orphaned or unwanted child. Is it true that in order to adopt domestically or internationally it costs anywhere between $10k & $40k? I thought the idea was to give these children a loving, stable home not make it a business? We are looking domestically and in Mexico or Guatemala, any information you have would help.
Thanks,
Jennifer
Answer Hi Jennifer, you raise several different issues so I'll address them one at a time:
1. 99% of children made available for international adoption are there because of extreme poverty and/or social mores make it very, very difficult for single parents, usually women, to raise their babies with any degree of financial security.
2. Almost all newborn/infant adoptions are handled privately today among birth mothers, lawyers and adoptive parents. Children who do enter the system are there due to parental neglect, abuse, or drug/alcohol issues.
3. Adoption agencies, US and international,adoption lawyers, local/state/federal government, and other adoption support services like any other social service organization, like a hospital for example, have payroll, operating costs, etc.
4. Fees for a private domestic adoption can easily run from $10,000 to $40,000 depending on the financial arrangements and what the local jurisdiction allows. Adopting a child from the social service system, however, would generally run less than $1,000. Many times, depending on the child's specific needs, government subsidies are available.
5. International adoption also runs the gamut. Approx $10-$12,000 for an Ethiopia adoption to $35-#40,000 for Guatemala and Mexico. With international, you're paying fees to 2 agencies, 2 governments, etc.
Check with adoptivefamiliesmagazine.com and adoption.com to start your research. With enough background info, you'll be able to narrow your search for specific country/agency info.
