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Up Front and Personal with Open Adoption
Is Open Adoption for You?
By Sue Poremba
The first step in pursuing an open adoption is to determine the laws of your state. Some states allow independent adoptions, where perspective adoptive parents and birth mother meet through means other than a formal agency, while other states' laws dictate the use of a licensed agency for any adoption. This information can be found online, through state or county offices or from attorneys who specialize in adoption.
Perspective adoptive families go through thorough background checks. Newkirk-Noah says perspective parents who come to her agency fill out an assessment that reveals all sorts of information, from hometown and careers to what types of sports they enjoy (if any) and where they go on vacation.
Depending on the situation, the price of the adoption can cost very little or could cost up to $50,000. The average domestic newborn adoption costs around $20,000. When a toddler or preschooler is adopted through state placement, there is virtually no cost to the adoptive parents. When perspective parents are matched with a pregnant woman, the adoption costs will cover counseling and other fees. If the birth mother does not have health insurance or is not eligible for Medicaid, the adoptive parents will pay more to cover prenatal visits and hospital costs.
The cost of the adoption will also depend on the type of agency used, fees for lawyers and others who may be involved in the adoption, and whether or not the adoptive parents provide extra help for the birth mother (i.e. chipping in for rent if the mother is on bed rest and can't work).
An open adoption is a wonderful experience for the birth parents, the adoptive parents and the child if all parties are honest with their expectations from the beginning.
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