What are your thoughts on adoption grants?

Looney Tunes

Ok, here come the thumbs down....

First - I DO NOT have a problem with foreign adoption.

But I do have a problem with this. The $$ should be spent on the foster kids or the foster system. Lord, that amount of money they are giving is more than some foster parents get!

Our kids need help here! Over 500,000 kids are in foster care. Most will return home, but while they are in care, they need clothes, shoes, toys, etc. And also that $$ could go to the bio-parents to help them move into a decent apartment, aid in parenting classes, etc.

You are probably saying "Why help the crappy parents?" Well, if they are not so abusive, helping them succeed, HELPS THE CHILD succeed....

The foster kids that don't return home...guess what, they are kicked out of the system with NOTHING. I had $63 to make it at the age of 18.. I could have used some of that $$ to get an apartment, goto school, etc, etc.

Oh you folks have no idea what these kids go through...especially the ones that age-out.

tickled blue

Ugh...I know I will get a lot of thumbs down for this one....

I think 40,000 would be better spent on in-country programs that could help the mothers to raise their children. I know: no one would send 40,000 to help a mother raise her child.
There are *some* situations where children are actually in need of a home/parents....but many already have parents and a home....they simply don't have enough money or resources to raise the child. Again, there are exceptions....
I do not believe you should get grant money to adopt a child. If you cannot financially afford a child, you should adopt through foster care....or wait until you have the required funds. Again, the grant money could be better spent.

Independ"ant"

I think it shows that Americans/Canadians are "adoption happy" and how it has lost focus on what is truly in the best interest of children. I agree with everyone one above to a certain extent. I think if people and organizations do not want to help children without getting some sort of direct benefit for themselves thats fine but they should keep their hands of another person's child. Children are not commodities for sale or at least their not supposed to be. Those grants alone would help keep a few children from 3rd world countries with their nparents for several years.

Gaia Raain

I think the medical ones are awesome. I'm just wondering why they're not giving this money to the parents, so the child can have that surgery and go home with them? Why is the money to fix a cleft palate only available to those who take the child to a strange country?

Heather Leigh

I think they are wrong...I agree with LT. We have way to many children in our Foster Care System and many of them age out of the system with very little. Many don't even have the basic life skills to make it on their own. So, in reality, the cycle continues with some of their kids being in the Foster Care System.

Also, please tell me this family did not name their child Gifty...Now if that isn't alot of pressure on a child!!

Kazi

Hi MamaKate,

I find adoption grants distasteful. I support programs that keep families together, however, I would never give an individual family $30,000 and I would never expect any PAP to do so... so obviously I would never support programs or grants that hand over money to parents to adopt with financial ease.

I know many PAPs who host fundraisers and bake sales and online auctions in order to raise the money to fund an adoption. I don't support that. Not only because asking for money always meakes me uneasy, but more for the future child. I don't think they could help but feel like a community charity case.

Adoption, unless it's from foster care, is expensive. That is something you have to accept. Like TickledBlue said, if you can't afford, you can't do it.

Many PAPs instead work their butts off to save the money because they know that if it's something you want, you have to be willing to come up with the money.

Lillie

Oh, it's expensive to procure someone else's child so you can become a parent. booooo ******* hoooooo.

I weep so many tears for those poor, poor desperate PAP's who can't bear to fork over 35 grand to take another woman's child and call them "theirs".

Waaaaa.

I'm with Tish; my labor and delivery, plus the doctor's visits before the event, and the "baby related stuff" after, cost ME a good 35 grand, so what's the difference?

Take a child, create a child, IT ALL COSTS MONEY.

But the only people you really see whining about the costs are the adopters.

Funny; entitlement runs deep. Not only do they feel they are owed a child, but now they feel they are owed the money to do it.

Incredible.

Safia M

I think it's great that there are people willing to help. It is extremely expensive to adopt a child and there are many, many families who could and would love to give a happy stable home to an abandoned child but don't have a spare $40,000. Those who can have children naturally should be very thankful that they don't need to consider such a difficult and expensive, emotional procedure!

r s

unless you are a foster parent, have the children years before adoption, it is actually very hard to adopt from the US public foster care system... adopting internationally is way easier, and is one of the reasons people go in that direction...

Roberta P

I am for these grants.

For those that say give it to the birth mother, how long do we continue to give them $30,000? For 18 years? Hand outs can lead to laziness and feelings of entitlement. I have/had a hard life (due to choices I made..pregnancy) so I deserve this money. Would this become the new welfare system? For each child I get a free $30,000. Sign me up. You wouldn't have to worry about children in Foster care any more. Everyone would keep their babies to continue to make $30,000 per child per year. That's like having a job that pays more than $14 a hour to sit on your butt. I know some mothers would use this money to help better their and their child's life but many would use it as their sole income. I think this idea would lead to more unwanted children so the "mother" could get the money. I say give the money to a family that wants a child not a paycheck.

ralf

You people are so harsh.

Those grants also go to people who are doing domestic adoption. And they pay for all the expensive lawyer and court processing fees. Many people CAN afford to raise a child and get them out of "the system" but by the time they go 35k+ into hock they will be too financially spread out to pay for many of the things they could be giving the child. Its a shame that adoption has become a business for many organizations but I don't fault the families who are adopting.

I believe it is the middle man profiteering businesses that need to be cracked down on. Maybe finding homes for children who really need them should just be a public service and not a business enterprise. If nobody stood to profit then there would be no motivation for a lot of the bad practices and pressuring that go on. If nobody was profiting and pulling margins then the price of all these fees and paper work would come right down too and people wouldn't NEED grants to be able to afford to let a child out of a public shelter and into their home.

That said I applaud the organizations who provide the grants and someday when I am ready to be a adoptive parent, Im already an adult adoptee and I had a totally positive experience and have an amazing family who I love dearly so I hope I can be as good a parent as mine were and even more understanding of my child's situation and feelings, but I do plan to avail myself of any grant money I can lay hands on as Id rather use any "extra" money I don't have to lay out for legal fees to help pay for my child's secondary education.

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