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I heard that this morning too! My jaw hit the floor when the woman was taking about the fees. I have no problem with a sliding scale for income, I think that's great and opens up adoption to more people. I don't like putting different values on different children. So, you can say that well, giving the minority babies a lower 'cost' makes them more attractive and maybe opens peoples eyes to adopting them, but it also gives the impression that white babies are worth more, and that people should be willing to pay to have one. The whole thing made me sad.

This makes me really sad. Putting a $ sign over a baby's head?... Def agree that it should be a flat fee for adoption...

Oh absolutely. My sister was in a hurry to adopt but didn't have enough money so she chose and African American baby instead of Asian or white because it was cheaper. She loves her baby and it worked well and she always wanted a mixed family if she was adopted. Technically it is supply and demand. Some babies have less demand and so they cost less to adopt.

Wow, this is crazy! I don't know anything about it and haven't read the article but in a way I guess it makes sense to make a certain race more affordable to adopt if there is either a disproportionate amount of adoptable babies from that race or if they are considered less 'desired' for whatever reason by the adoptive parent population - just to give those babies an equal chance. I'm assuming that's why it is the way it is? Why else would it be?

That's crazy! I'm so (sadly) naive about a lot of these issues. In a world where everyone strives for equality, you'd think that all human babies would be equal, too.

This whole story makes me so sad. What a world we live in.

Until you are there you don't know what your options would be. Not every agency works this way and there are still low cost adoptions such as foster care to adopt but they all come with their problems.

When you get married you think you can have the family you dream of. Then after 2 or 3 years you are still not pregnant. So you go to the IVF clinic. You shell out over $60,000 in failed IVF, FET and other treatments because they can't find anything wrong (or they do find something wrong and you can never have your own babies).

You have to make a decision here. Is the baby going to be part of one of you (sperm donor, egg donor, surrogate)? or neither of you (embryo adoption or adoption). If you are lucky and you can a sperm donor may be a great option. It's relatively cheap.

But that may not be an option and a surrogate is another $60k (seriously those women actually get paid). So you look into an adoption. It has been over 4 years since you expected to have your family. All of your friends have had kids and possibly multiples at this point. So you want your baby and you want it now.

You go to the adoption center and they tell you for $30k they can guarantee you a newborn baby in the next year as long as you don't care if it looks like you. And if you want the challenge, there are many special needs babies who are available and you can have them for even less but of course in the long run they cost you more. If you want a baby that looks like you well that is $50k. (so the difference is 90k or 110k). Yes there are tax deductions you can claim but they are hard and not the full amount.

So you jump for a baby, any baby at this point because you know that this is what is supposed to happen for you.

Of course, there are other options. You could find an OB that has single unmarried women open to adoption that will put your husband on the birth certificate. Or you could foster adopt and wait many more years for an infant or get your kids yanked because the parents shaped up. These are reduced costs but have many other problems.

You could find a women and do a completely private adoption. This is about 40k as well but you get to choose. Of course, this isn't teenage girls who are giving up their babies. Teens tend to keep their babies. This is a young women with some college who can't fathom a baby in their life right now. You are responsible for any and all medical costs associated with the pregnancy, the lawyers and the court fees. So instead of a straight 30k it is whatever ends up happening. If this women is uninsured or under insured this could be more expensive.

My sister has two african -american children in her home. She would not change them for the world. My best friend adopted her baby through private adoption (she was a friend of a friend). My other friend is in the middle of fost-adopt and has been called 5 times and the placement has fallen through each of the times. She has only been waiting for 1 year.

Is this for international adoptions or were they talking about domestic adoptions?

I know international adoptions like from Ethiopia are cheaper but could it be because they are a third world country where they are more concerned about finding homes for the orphans then about money. Like they don't have to charge as much as Korea or China... a more developed country? I'm just curious. I have no idea.

I do agree that there is a supply and demand for Asian babies. When we adopt, since I'm vietnamese, I would like to adopt an Asian or a mixed baby. Although, if we found a baby that we fell in love with, it doesn't matter the race.

Also, aren't there probably government requirements, too. I would like China and Korea's government would have more costly fees (maybe excessive) than African American countries.

@MrsCB: I have a blog post about transracial adoption/ talking about race that gives some recommended reading on the subject that you might find useful.

@bluestriped bee: International comes out roughly equivalent to domestic infant, actually when you factor in all costs.

@Mrs. Train: the agency we used for our home study was the same way. All domestic adoptions cost the same, but depending on your preferences you may wait longer.

I've never heard of a price difference before now.

This breaks my heart completley. No child should have a price tag over their head based on race or gender, it's disgusting.

I didn't know there was a price difference either; I only knew black babies were more readily available.

Where does the premium for white and Asian babies go? Is that just pure profit because people are willing to pay?

@Mrs. Jacks: you answered my question...hopefully that is not hogwash.

Just so you know, this coversation has hit Yahoo. Nothing new to the debate, but I'm glad people are talking about it.

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/price-check-always-cheaper-adopt-black-babies-160400586.html