Twelve and a half bucks, that’s what it cost my parents to adopt me. Would they have had to pay more for a white baby? We’ll never know, but according to NPR’s article on the issue, ‘Black Babies Cost Less To Adopt’, a skin-color based fee structure isn’t uncommon today. Not to mention how incredibly expensive the process is across the board.
/wtf, world?
Honestly.
J.R. Johnson 
Actually, it was $11.50–and worth every penny.
Even better. And if the price had been “$25K + $8-10K legals” you (and a lot of others) would never have had the chance to be a wonderful parent:)
Of course, you and your brother are clearly worth 35K plus the cost of feeding etc. (remember Doonesbury), but there is something very wrong with a system that prices adoption out of sight when there are still over 400,000 children in the foster care system (over 100,000 of them with a goal of adoption). However, it turns out that the cost estimates we keep seeing are for private adoptions. Nearly half of the 100,000 adoptions in the U.S. each year are done through public agencies, where the costs are minimal. So, if you’re considering adoption (and I think everyone should), check out your state agencies. My children still light up my life–although at 40-something they’re not as cute as they used to be.
Dad
/agree on the problems of the adoption system.
/disagree on the cuteness factor; my little brother is still adorable;)
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