Cost of Becoming a Mother

No call from Gladney this week but I did get their informational packet in the mail. I don't know if you are aware of the exorbitant costs associated with adoption. Gladney broke down their fees by country and here it is for Ethiopia.

Adoption Fees Paid to Gladney

• Initial Information Sheet 50
• Application Fee 300
• Home Study Fee 1,000
• Program Fee 4,200
• Post-Placement Supervision 600
• Post-Placement report 450
  

Adoption Fees Paid to Others
In the US:

• Immigration Approval & Fingerprinting Fee 405
  
• Authentication of Documents in US (estimate) 350
• Travel VISA 20
  

In Ethiopia:

Foreign coordinator/foreign source fee (VISA fee, VISA medical exam, related processing and administration fee, child identification expenses, US embassy issuance fee, medical expenses, translation of documents, registration fees, childcare and associated supplies such as diapers, formula, food, etc., coordinator and staff, including care giver salaries, legal fees and document processing, program development & humanitarian aid to the orphanage your child comes from of $1000) -- Total $ 7,385

Total Estimated Adoption Expenses $ 14,760

And then there's Travel Expenses....

Travel expenses vary depending on the season, cities visited, point of departure, level of accommodation, whether transit VISA is required due to the airline route, etc. All expenses are estimates.

• Adult airfare 1600
• Child airfare (over 24 months) 995
• Lodging (approx. 9 days) 1000
• Meals (9 days@$20/day) 180
• Miscellaneous in-country transportation 500
  

Total Estimated Travel Expenses $ 4,275

Grand Estimated Total to bring home an Ethiopian baby $19,035


Not cheap. And the sad part is there are millions of orphans in Ethiopia. How many people would love to adopt but simply can't afford that?

Now, if I want to adopt domestically from Gladney the fee is just a flat rate, although this fee does not include the home study, supervisory fees, travel expenses or legal expenses associated with the finalization of the adoption.

Income____________Adoption Fee

>$75,000...................................$24,000
$75,001-$100,000...................$26,600
$100,001-$150,000................$32,600
$150,001-$200,000................$38,600
$200,001 and over..................$40,600


Now, what you are about to read is shocking. I know the need to adopt Black children is great so I can understand why this is done, but it's still sad that Black children are just not as cherished and sought after. If you want to adopt a black child (either "full" African-American --whatever that means!-- or Biracial African-American the fee schedule changes...

Income______________Adoption Fee
>$75,000.......................................$10,200
$75,001-$100,000.......................$14,200
$100,001-$150,000.....................$18,200
$150,001-$200,000.....................$22,200
$200,000 and over......................$26,200


So as you can see adopting domestically it is still incredibly expensive. Having a child with donor sperm drops it down around $3000 (depending on how many trials) plus hospital expenses not covered by insurance. Going through the foster care system is $20 (the cost of fingerprinting) and of course, if I just end up pregnant, it's practically free! What a range!!