Why does it cost so much to adopt children?

Question

I was wondering why everyone was selfishly having their own children when so many children need help already. Then my friend told me it's ridiculously expensive to adopt a child. O_o

Answer 1

maybe so that ppl prove they have enough money to provide for the child,in life...idk i dont think it should be expensive )=

lol

Answer 2

Greed

Answer 3

What, you think it is selfish that people want to have their own children..are you mad?? It IS very expensive to adopt children,unless you are Brad & Angelina a lot of people cant afford it. I would love to be able to adopt 2 twin girls (wanted to do that since middle school) but unfortunetly I dont have $40,000 saved up. So I figured having my own little girl isnt so bad...idiot!

Answer 4

I have no idea how come it cost so much! My  family has 6 adopted Asians in it. All are my aunts and uncles and now they all have kids that are either full or half Asian...Growing up until I was about 5 I thought that we just ended up looking that way so I definately thought I was Asian until someone sat me down and explained adoption..I want to adopt and keep the family tradition up but I'm not sure if I will ever be able to afford it. I wanted a baby this year so I had a friend make a "Deposit" for me who is Japanese... At least my baby will fit in with the rest of the family but if I had the money I would rather adopt any day than carry one of my own.

Answer 5

Private newborn adoption and international adoption are both quite expensive because of agency fees, lawyers' fees, document processing, homestudy fee, fees for visa and immigration paperwork for international, etc.

Adoption from foster care is completely different, cost-wise. You would rarely be asked to pay more than the homestudy costs and some basic fees-- a few hundred dollars at most, usually less. Sometimes it's basically free. The exact costs depend on where you live.

If you truly want to provide a home for a child (I wouldn't say having biological children is selfish at all, though) then you can apply to do so through the foster care system without setting yourself up for financial hardship. Those child are very much in need of permanent and stable homes.

Just remember that once you adopt, the child is your child, and you shouldn't expect them to treat you will more gratitude than a biological child would, or to feel like they owe you something. Adopting a foster child is about the love you can give to the child, not the expectation of getting something in return. At the heart of it, it's a way of building your family, not something to be seen as an act of charity. A loving home is a mutual blessing, for you and the child.

Answer 6

probably because some ppl have really sick minds, and if it was cheap to adopt children, they could do horrible things to them and if they got really hurt or sick, they could just adopt another one because it was cheaper than medical bills or something. :'(

but if they were expensive, then its more likely responsible people will adopt them, and actually give them the love they need. :)

Answer 7

It is not selfish to have biological children.  It is however, selfish to force your beliefs on a person's reproductive choices.  

Adoption is much more complicated than you seem to think it is.

It is expensive to adopt an infant domestically and international adoption is sometimes even more expensive.  Adopting from the foster care system is pretty much free.  In the first two cases of adoption, most of the time, the child should not be adopted.  Most infant domestic adoptions are not necessary, and are only occurring because the biological parents don't have the knowledge of resources which are available to help them to parent.  They believe (falsely) that a child would be better off with people who have more money (a bigger home, more education, you name it).  This myth is perpetuated by greedy adoption agencies who are not looking into the best interest of the child.  

And...internationally...well who are we to decide that the child would be better off with us?  Yeah, there are children who will age out of the orphanages overseas, and those children should be adopted, but not by the Brangelinas of the world who just want the publicity and attention they get for "saving" children.

Adoption is emotionally more expensive for the adopted than it is for the people who are doing the adopting.  

Answer 8

Adoption is not cheap but its no more expensive than having a child with no health insurance.

If there are no travel fees average is approx. $10,000.00.

I have spoken to many parents who have adopted domestically and they often say they had only lawyers fees much less than what I stated.

Answer 9

It depends on what type of adoption you are talking about.  Adopting thru foster care, where there are 1000's of children who need homes, is free.

Answer 10

Adoption is not for everyone, many parents feel that having biological children is more appealing than adoption. That is a personal decision and children are best served if only people who truly believe in adoption form their family that way.

The cost of adoption ranges form $0-$30K, depending on what type of adoption you choose and how much your employer will contribute. More and more corporate employers offer very generous adoption benefits to employees. Also for individuals or couples with adjusted gross incomes below $175K, there is a $10K adoption tax credit.

Running an organized, reputable adoption agency that serves parents and children well is quite expensive. Agencies rely on fees to cover all of their expenses and to pay all of the fees associated with the adoption.

The most inexpensive way to form a family through adoption is through your state's waiting child program or foster to adopt system. Often there is no cost at all for these adoption or a modest fee that falls well below the tax credit.

An agency adoption is more costly but the fees are fair and saving for them is a good way to prepare for parenthood.  

Answer 11

Because adoption is a business and agencies make huge profits from the buying and selling of babies.

Answer 12

Yur freind is wrong. Adopting through the social system is low cost or even free. In Massachusetts, any child adopted through the public system is eligible for free tuition to any state college they can get into. Pretty sweet deal, for your child to go to the University of Massachusetts for free. Probably saves you $100,000...

Answer 13

Adoption is expensive because of the legal fees involved in process and the need of the agencies to provide the adoptive services.  

Independent adoptions (no agency involved) are expensive as well because of the legal fees and the fact that the adoptive parents pay the health care costs for the birth mother.  

To assume that the high cost of adoption means that only responsible people can afford it is a huge misnomer as having a lot of money in no way implies that you would be a responsible parent.  

Answer 14

In a way I do agree, as bringing up a baby is expensive enough. As long as parents do have money and are suitable parents then they should get they baby for free.

Though saying this, an orphanage needs to supply food and clothing and toys for these babies, so they need money also, and I guess they use the money they get each time a child is adopted out.

Answer 15

I wouldn't call it selfish for a couple to have their own children. Some people are able to have kids and others cant! The people who cant have children adopt and some other people just like the thought of adopting vs trying to get pg. Its a personal choice. As far as adopting a child one reason it cost alot is because they are not going to just give a child to anyone they want to make sure your stable to raise a child if your willing to put that much time, money, and effort into adopting they know your serious! Plus if cost alot of money for the agencies to provide health care for all the children they have!  

Answer 16

I'm guessing that it is so expensive because if it was cheap a lot of mental people would adopt just to turn the kids into their slaves. If you have to spend so much on adoption then you better take good care of your adopted child.

Answer 17

There are lots of reasons and expenses involved ...  IMHO, I think it should be just as hard and expensive and inconvenient to give birth as it is to adopt ...  there are a lot of parents out there that shouldn't be parents ...

ps - I don't think it is selfish to have your own genetic child ...  it is a completely natural and spontaneous desire and just the way we are as animals that have a desire to reproduce ...