Downturn takes toll on adoptions

[adopteeme]

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/feb/08/downturn-takes-toll-adoptions/?city_local

 

Downturn takes toll on adoptions

By Christine Metz

February 8, 2009

Parents are expected to make sacrifices for their children all the time. But
for Vanessa and Brian Palenske, those sacrifices came long before the baby.

Since 2006, the Basehor couple has been saving money to adopt -- bargain
shopping, cutting back on vacations and dining out less frequently.

But a year into the process, the Palenskes have had to turn down several
matches because the $25,000 they;ve saved up wasn't enough. Much of the
unexpected costs, which is sometimes $10,000 more, comes from the attorney¹s
finder fees.

"The price is so astronomical, and to be honest with you, that part has been
extremely frustrating," Vanessa Palenske said. "In my mind, it doesn't make
sense for things to be so costly because we are talking about placing a
price on a life."

Economy affects adoption

Because of the economy, some couples are putting adoption plans on hold.

Some potential parents are being more conservative and others have dropped
out of the adoption process altogether, said Shawn Kane, executive director
of American Adoptions, an adoption agency in Overland Park.

"We have families tell us that job layoffs or cutbacks is one reason, and
others are just fearful of a future layoff, so they just decide to fall out
of the process," Kane said.

Meanwhile, there's been an increase in women who are considering giving
their child up for adoption, Kane said.

"The No.1 reason why women contact us is almost always financial. A lot of
times you are dealing with women who are single parents, a lot of times they
have children so they already know how hard it is to parent. Fathers many
times are not in the picture," Kane said. "They definitely love the child
and they want to make sure that child has a lot of opportunity, but I think
there is a lot of guilt that they can¹t provide the kind of opportunity that
they would like to."

Adoptions slowing

While economic hardships haven¹t deterred some families from wanting to
adopt children, Rodney Huey, a spokesman for the National Council for
Adoption, said it has made the process harder.

"There are no figures, but intuitively it is down because everyone is under
these hardships," Huey said.

Last year, new regulations and practices were enacted as part of the Hague
Adoption Convention, which has made international adoption more complicated.

Adoption agencies nationwide have folded < either victims of the economy or
the tighter restrictions and shutdowns in overseas adoption, Huey said.

The drop in the number of agencies has made the wait longer for couples.

Credit crunch

Depending on the method of adoption and whether it¹s a domestic or
international adoption, the price can range from $10,000 to $40,000. Federal
and some state tax credits are available to offset the cost.

In the past, potential parents could fund those costs by taking out a second
mortgage on their home or getting a special ³adoption loan.² But those
sources of funding have tightened up with the recent credit crunch. And the
stock market has taken a hit on their savings.

"The downturn has made money less available, made credit less available and
it has slowed the process down," Huey said.

The Walrods

Paul and Cherri Walrod of Eudora are among those who have spent tens of
thousands of dollars on adoption and have gone into debt to do so. Along
with their three biological children, the family includes three children
adopted internationally. One-and-a-half-year-old Samara joined the family in
October.

While still paying off debt from the adoptions, Cherri Walrod has seen the
income from her home day care business drop by about $1,000 a month.

To help make ends meet, the family is looking at dropping their cable
television, selling a vehicle and not eating out as much.

Despite the tightening budget, Cherri Walrod said she would do the adoptions
all over again.

"Our plate is obviously full, but are hearts are, too," she said.

Parents still interested

Not everyone is seeing a decline in interested parents.

Allan Hazlett, a Topeka attorney who does 30 to 50 adoptions a year, said
his office is busier than usual.

"People who choose to adopt are willing to make whatever sacrifices
financially necessary to do it, and it is expensive," he said.

Among Hazlett¹s clients are the Palenskes.

At the beginning of the process, Hazlett set out an itemized list on how
much the process would cost, Vanessa Palenske said. But it¹s the costs from
other attorneys and agencies in matching the child with the parents that has
been unexpectedly high.

They are still hoping for a child. In the past four weeks, they¹ve been
flooded with interest from birth mothers looking for adoptive parents.

Currently they have their fingers crossed on a 3-month-old baby girl.

After rushing their portfolio to an agency in Maine, they are waiting to
hear whether the birth mother selects them.

Having saved a good chunk of money and with secure jobs -- Vanessa is a
clinical social worker and Brian is self-employed working in concrete
construction -- the couple wonders whether they will have an advantage over
other potential parents in this economy. Still, their budget is limited.

"If this (baby) truly is meant to be ours, if this is whom God intends us to
be matched with, then it will happen no matter what," Vanessa Palenske said.
"When the money comes up like that, then my thought is, then it wasn¹t meant
to be ours."

[Southernroots]

Feb. 9, 2009 at 4:06 PM

"Much of the unexpected costs, which is sometimes $10,000 more, comes from the attorney¹s
finder fees."  - Disgusting, finding pregnant women to relinquish and getting well paid for it.

 

[onethentwins]

Feb. 19, 2009 at 12:33 AM

This article makes no sense to me. Rodney Huey (may he rest in peace) says that there is a downturn in adoption due to the recession but, Shawn Kane says that due to financial reasons there are more women relinquishing than ever. We all know there are more people wanting to adopt than babies available, so if Kane is right, adoption should be up.

How sickening that he says lack of finances is the #1 reason women relinquish. We are still one of the richest countries in the world and while we seem to have plenty of money to bail out banks there isn't enough to keep a child in it's family. sickening.

[mommytoadam]

Feb. 24, 2009 at 9:18 AM

Depending on the method of adoption and whether it¹s a domestic or
international adoption, the price can range from $10,000 to $40,000.

To me, what is so sad about this is that there are thousands of children all across the United States in our foster care system RIGHT NOW who are hoping to find a family.  And the best part is that those adoptions are little to no cost and sometimes even include subsidies to help with any medical issues, etc. (present and future) so the families can have a little bit of help.  And there are even babies available, you just have to do foster to adopt. 

[Jen145]

Mar. 7, 2010 at 11:57 PM

In Arizona the primary goal to foster care is to return the child to the family and not to adopt.  They tell you right away that if you are wanting to adopt then fostering is not the answer and as a couple that has had to give two kids back it is not the right option for us.  It was simply to painful.