Today I have more from the letter "M" in my Transracial Adoption ABCs, and more to write about on adoption and money.

As I wrote about in my last post, money is a big issue in adoption. In my last post I wrote about the challenges of paying for an adoption, and gave some suggestions on getting the funds together.

In this post I am going to talk about where the money goes in adoption, and the power money can have.

I always tell adoptive parents that when they are investigating adoption agencies and doing their research, that one of the things they should always get is a breakdown of the fees, with explanations on what the fees cover and where the money goes.

Thousands of dollars are usually paid in an adoption, and adoptive parents have the right and the responsibility to know where their money is going.

Whenever you mix a very emotional and personal issue (like adoption) with a large amount of money, it becomes very easy for unscrupulous people to take advantage of the situation to make a buck.

It is easy to think that everyone involved in adoption is in it for the children, but that is unfortunately not the case. There are some involved in adoption for the money.

Money can negatively influence adoptions in a serious way.

In a country where the average annual income is comparable to the average daily income for many Americans, it is not hard to imagine how a small amount of money (by our standards) and some promises for a better life could persuade a mother to give up her baby. This is not only unethical and illegal, that child is not a legal orphan according to the U.S. government.

If you picture a young, single, scared, pregnant mother, who is considering adoption for her baby, it is not hard to imagine how some pressure, promises and offerings to help with financial challenges could persuade that mother to place her baby for adoption, even if she was not totally sure that was what she wanted. I would hope that no adoptive parents would want a baby under such circumstances.


Money has power and money has influence. There is a lot of money involved in adoptions. When it is used for good, it is used to build orphanages, cover medical expenses, provide healthy food and clean water, pay for schooling, hire staff to care for the children, fund projects that help people in the community, etc.

When it is used unethically, it can not only threaten the ethics and integrity of that particular adoption or program, but of all adoptions everywhere.

So I encourage all adoptive parents to know where their money is going, and what it is being used for. Most people would not dream of handing over thousands and thousands of dollars to anyone for services that they "hoped" would be rendered, and it should be the same with adoption agencies. Although it is often hard to think of adoption as a business, it is indeed a business.

You should choose your agency carefully, and have full confidence in who you are giving your hopes, dreams and cash to.