Adoption

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Frequently Asked Questions about Adoption

Q: Is adoption expensive?

A: An adoption can be expensive, costing anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. The cost of the adoption depends on several factors, such as whether you are using an agency or adopting directly from the birth parents, adopting an infant or an older child, or adopting domestically or internationally, among other factors. There are ways to decrease the costs of adoption that may be available to you, including employer benefits, tax credits and state and federal subsidies.

Q: Can I adopt if I'm not married?

A: Yes. Single people have the same eligibility to adopt as married people. But just like married people, the court can deny an adoption if it finds the adoption isn't in the child's best interests. Also, some adoption agencies may choose not to place a child in a single parent home, so if you are considering an agency, you will want to check if it has this restriction. Even with these limits, single parent adoptions are increasing in number as courts discover single parents can provide just as loving and stable homes as married parents.

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International Adoptions

The entry by the United States into the Hague Convention has significantly reduced the number of children being placed into the United States for adoption. At the present time, it does not appear that international adoptions will be increasing. In almost all cases, it is necessary to work with an agency specifically licensed by the Department of State in order to receive a child from a foreign country. If you are interested in adopting a child from a foreign county, contact an experienced adoption attorney in your area. A lawyer can help you fulfill all of the domestic and foreign requirements for adopting your child.

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Open vs. Closed Adoption

In a closed adoption, the adoptive parents and birth parents have no contact before or after the child was adopted. The term "open adoption" is poorly defined, but it generally means that there is some level of contact between birth parents and adoptive parents, after an adoption is completed. Post adoption contact and communication agreements may be included in the Final Order of Adoption. It is important to work with an adoption attorney who understands how such an agreement may be negotiated, drafted and enforced.

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Termination of Parental Rights

Before a child can be adopted, the child’s legal ties to their birth parents must be severed. This process can be stressful for adoptive parents, who may worry that complications will increase the length of the process or prevent a successful adoption altogether.

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How to Finance an Adoption

The expenses associated with adopting vary according to the type of adoption you pursue and where your child is from. Such expenses can include application fees, the cost of the social worker's home study, court costs, adoptive parent training, prenatal and delivery medical expenses, foster care fees, orphanage donations, foreign fees and travel costs. These costs can quickly mount, leaving you discouraged about your ability to afford an adoption. But there are resources available to help you defray the costs of adoption, including loans, grants, employer benefits, tax credits and others.

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