In the following posts, I talked about how some adoption agencies charge more to adopt a Caucasian baby than they do to adopt a non-Caucasian baby:

• Adoption Cost: Putting Certain Races "On Sale"



• Sliding Scale for Adoption Based Upon Adopted Child's Race

As I stated in those posts, I do not support the practice of putting non-Caucasian babies "on sale." If we are going to have different pricing tiers, I believe they should be based upon something other than a baby's race.

What types of factors should affect the cost of adopting a child?

Hopeful Adoptive Couples of Limited Means

I would support providing discounts on the adoption fee for hopeful adoptive couples who would provide a loving home and can afford to raise a child but do not have ready access to funding for a very large adoption fee. Not many people have $20,000 in cash sitting around in a savings account, doubly so if they have paid for fertility treatments before deciding to adopt a child. Having a large bank account does not guarantee good parenting any more than a modest bank account guarantees poor parenting. Teachers and firefighters should not be prevented from adopting just because it is harder for them to accrue a $20,000 bank account when compared with doctors and lawyers.

SPONSOR

I would support charging less to adopt a child with special needs because children with special needs almost always cost more to parent. I spend close to $1,000 a year on my son's asthma for his medication and doctor visits. Other adoptive families do not have to budget for $1,000 in medical care for asthma, which enables them to apply this money toward other expenses like college. People who adopt children with special needs do not have a choice about spending more toward the special need: If I do not buy my son his medicine, he will have trouble breathing and could die.

Of course, many special needs, such as my son's asthma, are not diagnosed by the time of placement, so there is no way to factor in offsetting these costs. However, in situations like fetal alcohol syndrome, it is apparent that the adoptive parents will incur additional costs to raise the child. I think it is appropriate to offset the adoption cost in light of this.

What areas of adoption do you believe justify providing a discount in the cost of adoption?

Related Topics:

• A Day To Think About FAS



• FAS/FAE category on Parenting Special Kids blog

Photo credit: Lynda Bernhardt