The global economic downturn has affected families in myriad ways -- including, according to a Jan. 8 article on thevisitor.co.uk, making it more difficult for parents to adopt:

According to Adoption Matter Northwest, potential adopters, including some who have already signed up for preparation groups, are having second thoughts, with some withdrawing their interest altogether.

The agency reports that 10 percent of those enquiring about becoming adoptive parents over the last six months subsequently pulled out. ...

Agency chief executive Norman Goodwin said: "We completely understand people's concerns and reasons but it's still bad news for the 4,000 children across the UK who are waiting for the opportunity of a fresh start with a new family."

Labels: UK, economy, adoption costs

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As the recession continues, and job losses and pay cuts loom on the horizon, some families are unable to raise the money needed for adoption, while others are thinking harder about placing their children for adoption.

An Aug. 31 article by Amy Flowers Umble of Virginia's Freelance Star newspaper provided the following details:

A June FindLaw study reported that six percent of potential adoptive parents in the United States have delayed adoption because of the recession. ...

Raising a child costs quite a bit -- the average parents spend $200,000 per child from birth through high school.

"'Unfortunate' doesn't even begin to describe it," said Adam Pertman, director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute in Boston. "It's heartbreaking to think that people could be placing their children because they lost jobs."

The decreased number of would-be adoptive parents hasn't impacted the likelihood that American children will be adopted, the Freelance Star reported, as the demand for U.S.-born children still outpaces the number of children who are available for adoption.

Labels: adoption_costs, economy

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With families across the nation experiencing recession-related financial pressures, adoption agencies have noticed an increase in the number of women who are choosing to place their babies for adoption. According to a May 19 article by USA Today writer Wendy Koch, the increase in women who are opting for adoption includes those who already have children:

Many of these women are in their 20s and already have at least one child, says Joan Jaeger of The Cradle, [an adoption agency in the Chicago area] ... She says 30 percent more women are inquiring about placing a child for adoption than a year ago.

"The economy has made them take a second look at adoption," says Scott Mars of American Adoptions, a private agency in Overland Park, Kan. In the past year, he's seen a 10 percent to 12 percent increase in women inquiring about placing a child for adoption and a 7 percent to 10 percent increase in actual placements, as strong demand for healthy infants continues to outstrip the supply. ...

"Our phones are ringing off the hook," says Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation, which represents abortion providers. She says calls to her group's hotline have nearly tripled in the past year, many from women whose families have lost jobs.

The majority of women who place their children for adoption in the United States stay in touch with the child's new family, Koch reported. "In up to 90% of domestic infant adoptions," she wrote, "... adoptive parents maintain some contact with birth parents."

Labels: economy, birth-mothers, birth_parents, pressures

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