Although a child’s life is priceless, the cost to adopt a child is unnecessarily high, there are restrictive requirements, and many obstacles to overcome to adopt. Why is this the case when there are millions of children without families?  

   The Adoption Networks website overview condenses the domestic adoption process into a total of ten steps. Within those steps there are multiple conditions that could complicate the process tremendously.

      Additionally, state adoption laws are typically a ground law that is issued by the state, but additional requirements are seen at private adoption agencies, international adoptions and individual organizations. 

       Stricter laws can help prevent people who are not fit to adopt, but can also stop people that are more than capable of adopting. 

     Ground laws for each state include the age at which a person can adopt. The minimum age is 18 years old for a majority of states but in addition, some states say the individual has to be 18 and at least 10 years older than the child. This is seen in New Jersey and Nevada. In Maryland you have to be an adult and the consent of a child who is over 10 years old is needed. 

     Members of the LGBTQ+ community have a notably harder time adopting a child although there are no places where it is illegal for them to adopt. The ability for multiple private organizations to refuse to work with couples or individuals based on their sexuality is extremely unfair. To discriminate because of a person’s sexual identity should be illegal, it does not prohibit someone from being a good parent. The American Adoptions website states “according to the law you can adopt, but a private organization could still refuse to serve you.” Many international countries also legally restrict homosexual couples from adopting children.

     The health of a person looking to adopt is another factor that comes into consideration in the adoption process. If an applicant suffers from diagnosed mental illness, overweight, or has a chronic illness they are less likely to make it through the selection process according to the Mental Help website.

    Lifestyles for parents looking to adopt are highly specific; families that like to travel have a significantly lower selection rate. As well as the finances of a family, to adopt a person needs to be extremely financially stable. 

     Overall, the cost to adopt with an agency ranges from $30,500 to $48,500, to adopt individually it could cost upwards of $25,000 to $38,000. For an average working person this is not usually attainable. The Adoption Network states an average of 140,000 American children are adopted each year. This number could be higher if there was more aid for adoptive parents.

     AdoptTogether is a wonderful non-profit organization that raises money to help parents pay for the adoption costs. There is also a Federal Adoption Tax Credit which provides around 14,300 to the multitude of adoption expenses. It should not be hard for parents to attain aid and for it to be limited. Especially for international adoptions since there are additional travel costs that are included in the overall cost.