Do you think that it will ever be more cost effective to adopt?

icehockeymom7

Probably not. We would love to adopt internationally again (we have 3 bio kids and 1 daughter from China) but right now we could never afford the fees. I know we will adopt again, after going to China and seeing with my own eyes how vast the need is for these kids. But it is very expensive, and your average family just cannot do it. It's never a valid argument to me when people say "Well if you can't afford to adopt then you can't afford to raise a child" That's not true. Not many people have $20,000 just lying around, but plenty of people make enough money and have enough room in their homes and hearts for another child. I am not opposed to adopting out of foster care, and we are looking into it. But I have to admit it scares me! I think I am just more knowledgeable about adoption from China and feel most comfortable with that, so it's hard to shift gears. And it's also very hard to get the mental pictures out of my head from visiting those orphanages. So, I'm not ready to give up yet! But I understand what you are saying, and I think it is the number one reason why more families don't adopt internationally.

ETA: Shana, there are a few people here who will, no matter what, be opposed to international adoption. They are the ones who give any of the IA parents a "thumbs down" just because we have adopted from another country. They don't want to hear anything but that IA=human trafficking. While I understand and agree that there have been tragic instances of this in IA, I will argue that it is the exception, not the rule. And those of us who have actually adopted internationally, are involved with organizations who work in these countries with these children, we KNOW the reality. I have seen the reality with my own eyes, in both China and Russia. It is sobering, to say the least. And no, IA will not solve the problem in those countries, no one has argued that it will. But it does provide a chance at a family for a child, and it does provide much needed funds for the orphanages that care for these children. It would be nice if the problem were as easy to solve as some people here think, but unfortunately that is very naive. I hope that you will be able to adopt at some point, as you are wishing! Even if you aren't able to adopt, you can work with countless organizations who aim to improve the lives of the children left behind in those countries. It's the only way I can sleep at night, after seeing what I have seen.

Heather B

When adoption is returned to being a social service for finding homes for children instead of the $1.4 Billion industry finding babies for paying customers it has become

It's a matter of supply and demand and at the moment the demand is keeping the costs unrealistically high. As long as people are willing to pay the adoption agencies will keep taking their money and making big bucks off the backs of babes. Do you honestly want any part of that

Regarding families on government assistance; children are guaranteed a certain standard of living. That's what the (hopefully temporary) government assistance is for. Families do not deserve to lose their children just because they fall on hard times.

Randy B

Well, it has been cost effective for both of my adoptions. One international adoption for $800 US and the last adoption through domestic foster care was free. If you want something bad enough you can do it legally without paying through the nose.

PhilM

What does it mean to make adoption "cost effective"?

Is it a business transaction? How much should a child cost?

cantstopLinnyG

Sigh...infants are NOT unwanted. People who are telling you that infants are "unwanted" in Russia and Romania, are, Im sure, people who have adopted from those areas.

http://adoptionwatch.typepad.com/

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/03/2...

http://www.youtube.com/user/adoptedthemo...

WHY would you mutilate your body, when that is what it's supposed to do???

If you want to parent, consider foster care- they are the ONLY children who need homes.

Oh, and BTW, foster kids who are adopted are NOT the only adoptees who have "mental and emotional problems".

http://www.nancyverrier.com/pos.php
http://www.amfor.net/acs

Have your own.

Faith K

Adoption is just the money that you would have to pay normally for medical bills.

And there is no such thing as an 'unwanted' child.

Gaia Raain II

No infant is born unwanted. There are gaggles of prospective adoptive parents who wait YEARS to adopt freshly born infants. If you aren't interested in helping a child who NEEDS help (i.e. foster care), then have your own.

I sure hope things become more simple in this area. Women who are down on their luck should NOT be expected to hand their children over to strangers who have more money. That seems simple enough, right? I'm sorry you would prefer to exploit people who need help (by taking their children) rather than helping them.

ETA: So...because they're in a foreign country, THAT makes it ok to exploit the downtrodden? Explain that to me, please, cuz I'm a little confused by your reasoning.

ETA2: Uhm...fastpaws, sweetie, I don't know if you realize this, but adoption isn't a medical condition. That would be why MEDICAL insurance doesn't pay for it.

Yarr

It is already cost effective if you go on the waiting list. Might not be time effective though hehe.

fastpawsbengals

you know i am not sure.. I wish my medical insurance could just pay for it tho.. If i was prego my medical insurance would pay it so why not have it pay for our adoption???

Real Moms Raise Their Children

You are being honest with yourself when you say that you are not sure if you can take care of an older child. That's a good thing. But, the world really is not overpopulated. That's a myth. Go ahead and have your own baby. Love the baby. Care for the baby. Raise the baby. Yes, there are a lot of babies out there for adoption, but that baby will always wonder who they are, what their ancestry is, why their mom left them. They may even one day go off and try to find their 'birth' mom and you may feel hurt if you are not ready for this. You may feel betrayed. Adoption brings a lot of deep, sad feelings to the surface when the child is older.

A lot of people here are not for adoption...

If you can have your own, have them, okay? You can, your body is ready to, it's what your body was born to do.

Oh, and as far as international adoptions, there are a lot of kidnappings taking place, where the agency lies that the child was lost, parents died in a fire, in a war...when in fact, the babies family is alive and well. I saw a documentary on this and it's a very sad business. Money for a life. It's just not right.

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