Thread by @designmom

I've been learning a ton from #adopteetwitter #adopteevoices. Something I keep thinking about:

1) In some adoption cases (not sure how many), a mother relinquishes her baby for adoption because of economics; she can't afford to raise the baby.

time.com/6051811/privat…

2) In the U.S., adoption via private agencies costs $60,000-$70,000.

Source:
americanadoptions.com/adopt/average-…

3) We’re learning more about adoption relinquishment trauma, and we know that babies who have a loving bond with their birth mother have the best outcomes.

mariedolfi.com/adoption-resou…

4) It’s common for adoptive parents to say they are adopting because "they want what's best for the baby." Adoptive parents raising an adoptee say that they “would do anything for the child". Worthy things to say.

5) Assuming they are telling the truth, why not give a financially challenged birth mother their $60,000-$70,000, plus monthly support matching the costs they would have paid while raising the child, so that the birth mother can raise her baby in economically sound circumstances?

6) Based on everything we know, that would, by definition, be "what's best for the baby".

/end