not a lawyer or an expert but a quick Google seems to indicate in the US you have to pay to adopt a child, whereas I believe it’s free / you get paid in European countries.
Adopting children from US Foster Care systems actually come with perks (guaranteed Medicaid) and a stipend of sorts. Adopting newborns can cost $50k. It’s wild.
I’m in Canada, but much of the cost of adoption is the same.
- Legal fees to change the parentage (and sometimes the name) of anchild.
- Counselling for the birth parents.
- Travel costs for the birth parents.
- Background checks for the adoptive parents (legal, medical, and financial).
- Counselling/social work for the adoptive parents.
- Payment to the adoption agency for facilitating the whole process.
The only significant difference I know of in the US is that some ahencies are for-profit, and medical costs aren’t covered by unicersal healthcare, so have to be added on.
Ohhh, that makes since. I didn’t even think to look that up, I thought that was the norm everywhere (paying for adoption, etc)