Surrogacy and adoption have remained discourse topics in recent years. Many complexities, contested, and dynamic perceptions exist regarding these two processes. Adoption and surrogacy are the options when people cannot give birth to a child because of physiological or psychological problems. Adoption is a legal acquisition of a child when a family takes a child and raises them as their own. Surrogacy is another form of getting a child when another woman agrees to carry and give birth to a baby for a family. The economic impact of adoption and surrogacy cannot be ignored in modern research because it is not enough to consider the overall costs of raising a child, which is about $233,610 (Sham and Kempken).
There are many other financial and organizational aspects related to adoption and surrogacy. Today, the average cost of adoption in the USA is between $30 000 to $60 0000, while surrogacy costs between $100 000 to $200 000 (Braverman). The average costs of living in New York, Chicago, and Los Angles are estimated to be $1500, $1040, and $1090, respectively, for a single person without rent (Braverman). Notably, preliminary estimates have shown the average poverty threshold for a family of four in the USA is $26 500 (Braverman). Therefore, regardless of the existing economic concepts and administrative processes like dealing with legal papers, home visits, and fees, surrogacy and adoption remain unaffordable for low-income families, and it is important to implement price tags to promote these alternatives, not for the rich only.
Surrogacy is a legally abiding agreement according to which a woman delivers a baby for another person or people. Currently, the concept of surrogacy works in a scientific process where the woman gets artificially inseminated with the father’s sperm and then delivers the baby to the couple, supporting a DNA connection to the child. However, though surrogacy has been revolutionized to include science, it is not new. It dates back to biblical times when Hagar acted as a surrogate mother for Sarah and Abraham (“History of Surrogacy”). However, Hagar had intercourse with Abraham in this context, ruling out the concept of insemination, which is the scientific concept behind current surrogacy. Nevertheless, scientific surrogacy dates back to 1985, when the first successful gestational surrogacy occurred (“History of Surrogacy”). Over time, the policies, laws, and practices surrounding surrogacy have been redefined to align with ethics.
The current scientific process involves artificial insemination whereby the sperm of the father fertilize the egg of the surrogate mother. The journey starts and ends when the couple is given a newborn baby. Though the surrogacy process has been thought to be straightforward, it can vary based on state laws and policies. However, despite the policies and prerequisite thresholds, there are several major steps involving the process.
First, one has to evaluate and decide if surrogacy is the best choice. The second step consists in preparing to set the family’s goals and determining the surrogacy candidate for the family. Thirdly, it is necessary to find a match and then satisfy the legal requirements, which involve signing a surrogacy contract agreement. After that, a fertilization process is initiated with the embryo transfer for a family to get a newborn in several months.
The cost of surrogacy has remained relatively high for ordinary citizens in the USA. Notably, Smietana reports that the surrogate mother should be paid $30 000 as the base compensation though broken in portions from conception until birth (3). Additionally, from the start-up to the end of the surrogacy process, the family is estimated to pay between $50 000 to $80 0000 based on the prevailing circumstances of the process (Smietana 3).
However, in case of eventualities like miscarriage or otherwise, the surrogate mother is legally bound to receive and retain the $30 000 basic payment indicating that the parents are still obliged to pay the ransom regardless of circumstances (“Adoption Services”). In such cases, the basic amount should be wired to the surrogate mother within ten days. It is worth noting that the surrogacy process is legally irreversible, and therefore, neither the surrogate mother nor the intended parents can pull out of the agreement legally (Drabiak). However, the surrogate mother does not have any legal responsibility for the child. Thus, it technically leads to the conclusion that any legal fee ought to be paid by the intended parents.
Adoption is a legal and social process whereby a child is given to a family and legally becomes a member of that family, maintaining a genetic and psychological connection with the birth parents. Compared to surrogacy, adoption is defined as a cheaper procedure because a newborn child does not have a DNA connection. The history of adoption dates back to 1851, when Massachusetts passed the first modern adoption law (“Timeline of Adoption History”).
This law classified adoption as a social and legal process factored by child welfare as opposed to adult interests (“Timeline of Adoption History”). Since then, many other states have been passing and amending existing adoption laws to suit the dynamics in the current environment. Notably, the child Citizenship Act of 2000 opened up the whole paradigm of adoption by allowing foreign-born adoptees to be American citizens upon entry to the USA (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”). This legal framework eliminated the burden of naturalization of international adoptions.
Still, since adoption is bound by law, this process may vary from state to state. However, the main idea remains the same, which includes a home study that serves as an educative process and preparation for adoption. In most cases, the adoption process takes place in several predefined steps. First, the prospective family who needs to adopt the child should contact the OCFS (“Adoption Services”) for an application. The prospective family schedules a home study process which includes a series of interviews, meetings, and training for preparation of the adoption (“Adoption Services”).
When the home study is finalized, the family undergoes agency training, and after that, the caseworker starts finding a child for them. When the child is found, the prospective parents first meet with the baby, and then if the meeting is successful, they undergo three months of supervision. When this period is over and is successful, the state takes the matter to court for finalization. Generally, the process takes approximately six months, but the peculiarities of the process depend on many other external factors, which extend the deadline to two years or longer.
Nevertheless, the cost associated with adoption cannot be ruled out as it remained relatively high similar to that of surrogacy. Though the USA allows adoption based on government Agencies and private placement adoption, both agencies still pose significantly high costs. Relatively, the cost may vary based on states and other factors. However, the average private adoption cost has been estimated to be $30 000 to $ 60 000 (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”). In contrast, in the context of the state Agency, the average cost is estimated to be between $ 25 000 and $ 45 000 cumulatively (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”).
Notably, the government of the USA would give a helping hand in child care. For instance, in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, one can get an average of $150 000 per month from the aid package (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”). With an average adoption cost of $60 000 and an inclusive care cost for a reasonable number of years, the adoption plan is manageable, albeit for the rich (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”). All these financial aspects prove that low-income families can use governmental help, but many organizational processes provoke additional questions and concerns.
It seems that neither surrogacy nor adoption is a favorable option for those who are not rich. For instance, the total cost for private adoption has been categorized as $30 000, while surrogacy averages $90 000 (NACAC). Notwithstanding, the expenses of living in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles are also high. Cumulatively, the standard living wage for a couple with one child is $83 000 before taxation (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”). Comparatively, the average income per household is estimated to be $71 000 (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”). Furthermore, the United States Census Bureau reports that 13.9% of households average at this $71 000 and thus can be categorized as living within the poverty line (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”). This city trend is similar in other major cities and states in the USA.
With the average price of a private adoption costing around 30,000 dollars and the average cost of a surrogacy costing around 90,000 dollars, many families might have trouble finding funds to set aside to make these high price points. These families also have to worry about living comfortably before taking on this challenge of a child. For example, two working adults with one child in New York must make around 83,431 dollars before annual income taxes to live comfortably (“Living Wage Calculation for New York”).
According to the United States Census Bureau (“Quick Facts: New York”), the average income of a NY household is $71,117. This information makes it impossible to have a working-class family set aside funds for a private adoption or surrogacy. Similar trends can be observed in other large cities around the country. According to the United States Census Bureau (“Quick Facts: Chicago”), the average household income was $62,097. Comparing these findings, the average household with two working adults and one child makes $70,647 before annual income taxes (“Living Wage Calculation for Cook County”). The same trend shows that the average household could not afford to set aside money for adoption or surrogacy.
The child adoption and surrogacy processes present higher costs in terms of spending compared to the average wage for the poor. However, studies have shown different statistics; on average, adoption and surrogacy average $30 000 and $90, 000 respectively (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”). Furthermore, either way, it is necessary to have an extra kit for caring for the child, which is also estimated to be an average of $110 000 (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”).
The rich, who account for only 20% of the USA population, are average, earn $131 350 annually (“California State Adoption Assistance Program”). It does not matter whether it is private adoption or surrogacy; the prices are almost thrice the average earnings of the poor. Nevertheless, these cannot be categorized as the only costs incurred. Other uncertainties continue representing additional miscellaneous challenges that proved the necessity to establish price tags and provide low-income families with similar opportunities.
Talking about the current prices of having a child through surrogacy or adoption, it is hard to predict if low-income families can afford such a possibility. People need to be ready to spend about $90 000 on surrogacy and $30 000 on adoption, in addition to the fact that more than $100,000 should be regularly offered to take care of a child. In addition, other risks are associated with adoption and surrogacy, including disability, death, economic inflations, and other unforeseen factors.
Notably, comparing the earning bracket of the rich to that of the poor, it is conclusively evident that there is a big discrepancy. With the high price of surrogacy and adoption, it can be seen as a private club of which the working class may have trouble trying to afford to be its part. These working-class families might have to work multiple jobs to put aside money to start working toward this job. At the same time, the rich can comfortably manage the costs of surrogacy and adoption, the poor cannot even meet the cost regardless of their adopting approach and saving strategies. Therefore, it is factual that surrogacy and adoption remain unaffordable for the poor and are only reserved for the rich.
Therefore, it is correct to say that despite the existing economic and administrative concerns, surrogacy or adoption is hardly an option for low-income families, and the country is not ready to introduce new price tags and demonstrate the readiness to promote equal options for all communities in the United States, not for the rich only.
Works Cited
“Adoption Services.” Office of Children and Family Services. Web.
Braverman, Beth. “The Cost of Adoption – and Strategies to Pay for It.” US News & World Report. 2022. Web.
“California State Adoption Assistance Program.” NACAC. 2022. Web.
Drabiak, Katherine. “Infants Born Through Surrogacy Contracts Cannot Be Canceled or Returned.” Bill of Health. 2021. Web.
“History of Surrogacy: A Timeline.” EDSI. 2021. Web.
“Living Wage Calculation for Cook County, Illinois.” Living Wage. Web.
“Living Wage Calculation for New York County, New York.” Living Wage. Web.
Sham, June and Maggie Kempken. “Cost of Raisign a Child.” Bankrate. 2022. Web.
Smietana, Marcin. “Affective de-commodifying, economic de-kinning: Surrogates’ and gay fathers’ narratives in US surrogacy.” Sociological research online 22.2 (2017): 1-13.
“Timeline of Adoption History.” The Adoption History Project. 2012. Web.
United States Census Bureau. “Quick Facts: Chicago City, Illinois.” Census. Web.
United States Census Bureau. “Quick Facts: New York.” Census. Web.