Utah Bill on Adoption

From Deseret News:

Adoptions are expensive, with average costs in the range of $20,000 to $50,000 and higher. As an adopted child of parents with very modest means, I can tell you how important it is for the expenses of adopting to be transparent so families can make informed choices. 

According to the most recent national adoption data available, 1,281 children were adopted in Utah in 2019. Almost half of those adoptions were facilitated by private adoption agencies. And after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, it’s likely that the number of adoptions, in Utah and beyond, will increase in the coming years.

This week, Utah legislators are considering an innovative law that increases the opportunities for adoption in the state, offering hope that more children might have forever families. The legislation (SB154) does three things: expands support for adoption by providing transparency about costs and consistent reporting of fees, facilitates the difficult choice facing birth mothers about whether to relinquish a child, and tries to grow the adoption marketplace. 

The bill prohibits fees for services not provided, and Medicaid continues to be there for birth mothers. Because we cannot write good policy without data, the bill standardizes the reporting of fees and relays this information back to legislative committees and the Judicial Council. This consistency and transparency will allow families to compare apples to apples when considering adoption. 

Read more here.