If a Pi Phi may respond--
Five of our 13 children are adopted. Only one of the adoptions cost more than we felt it should and our adopted kids are fabulous, incredible blessings who are making us so proud!
However...do you want to see some obscene costs? Go to
www.adopting.com and under the listing of agencies, check out the costs. Go to
www.abcadoptions.com and look on these forums: adoption hotline and adoption situations. Babies and children of all races, most of whom will be placed for at least $20,000, once all the fees are paid.
Why? Because it's a seller's market, because there are many people out there desperate for children--the infertility rate in this country (and Western Europe, Australia, and Israel) continues to climb. Agencies will tell you they're just covering their costs but why do they charge the same for both a regularly-delivered and a C-section-delivered child? Why are agency and facilitator fees starting to climb again now that the government has announced a $10,000 tax credit for adoptions?
My husband and I would love to adopt again--I feel like the Lord is leading us to adopt some little sisters somewhere. However, unless we can find a situation in which we can adopt independently (without an agency or facilitator, where the children are legally released to the adopting family)--that dream will never come true.