Claudia D’arcy created an impassioned debate on the New York Times opinion page. Her argument? Create a Tax Credit for impoverished birth mothers so they can afford to raise their children, and not turn to adoption. It’s worth taking a look.
Just as in so many other online adoption discussions, dozens of people have added their passionate opinions, but there seems to be no room for agreement. Then again, I know that’s not the point.
Perhaps more people can agree America needs to revisit its policies regarding adoption and adoptee rights. I don’t expect it to come up in a presidential debate anytime soon, but a national conversation focused on the well-being of people (minus the financial benefits of anyone) sure would be nice.
“Impoverished” mothers already get help from the government – WIC and SNAP (food stamps) being just two of the programs created to help people who need it. Even D’Arcy admits that there are several programs available, but she dismisses them because of the “stigma” attached. All mothers get the benefit of claiming their children as dependents on their tax returns. Pregnant women get the benefit of deducting their medical expenses from their taxes. The average pregnancy costs a woman $3000 out of pocket, all of which is deductible. The average adoption costs over $20,000, only some of which is sort of covered by the ATC.
I don’t think D’Arcy’s plea is worth taking a look at. It is incorrect – there is no evidence that the ATC created more demand for adoptable babies.
I think the US needs to support all mothers better – we have the fewest protections, the shortest amount of maternity leave, no universal health coverage. But I don’t think attacking the ATC is at all useful or logical.
Hi chittisterhildren, thanks for checking out my blog! I agree with your points, both on money and government support. Adoptive parents shouldn’t have to pay agencies an astronomical amount of money; they’re making a large sacrifice enough in providing a home for a child who needs it. My observation is not about the money. It’s about the emotion behind the adoptive process. Since I started blogging I’ve noticed bitter words flying between adoptive parents and bio parents, and you know what that says to me? Our adoption system is broken. We should all be partners in trying to create a better system instead of trying to beat each other down. D’arcy’s blog (and all the comments that followed) reminded me of that. Everyone’s passionate about adoption, but we should be using that passion for a greater good, not to discredit one side or another.