Corruption and bureaucracy pissing me off

[LadyShea]

Okay, so I was just informed that I have to get a third (count em, 3) fucking attorney to finalize the adoption here in Alabama. Why the hell do we have the Interstate Compact if it does nothing to promote uniformity and ease?

The adoption industry, in my observation, is a totally unregulated clusterfuck and everyone in it charges such exhorbitant fees that it looks to me to be selling children. I am pretty convinced it's corrupt.

Can anyone convince me otherwise before I go write a big expose?

[viscousmemories]

Can't say I know a thing about it, but I hope you're right. I love a good expose.

[godfry n. glad]

I know very little about adoption.

From those who I have known who have taken the adoption route, the early phases tend to be fraught with all kinds of legal frustrations. I don't know that crossing state boundaries to finalize the adoption necessarily complicates things, given what I've heard from adoptive parents who've adopted foster kids from the state system.

As for "unregulated"...I would think that the high level of bureacracy would indicate regulation. Perhaps you meant something else?

Also, from my perspective, you may well be right that it's naught but "child-selling", given the market. People who rillyrilly want children, but have not been able to engender their own, have a very inelastic demand and consequently, those involved in making it successful find that they are willing to pay well and tolerate many frustrations.

Sorry about the attorneys. Nobody should have to hire that many attorneys. You have my condolences.

[LadyShea]

As for "unregulated"...I would think that the high level of bureacracy would indicate regulation

I mostly meant the fee structures. They can charge whatever the hell they want and there seems to be little or no oversight.

[godfry n. glad]

So it's contractual?

The fees are charged by whom? The attorneys? Or, some kind of adoption service? If the latter, it's private, right? There's no regulation under state law of adoption services? Or, there's inadequate enforcement of standards, including fees?

[LadyShea]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

So it's contractual?

The fees are charged by whom? The attorneys? Or, some kind of adoption service? If the latter, it's private, right? There's no regulation under state law of adoption services? Or, there's inadequate enforcement of standards, including fees?

Agencies, facilitators, and attorneys are all titles used in the adoption industry and you can't adopt without one of them.

There are regulations regarding the birthparents consent, the suitability of the adoptive parents, licensing for agencies, limits to expenses the adoptive parents can pay for the birthparents, and that's about it. They also vary by state, which is where the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children becomes involved (ICPC). Our attorneys in NC have to initialte the ICPC paperwork so we can take him out of NC. Then when I get him home, we have to have an Alabama attorney file the Petition to Adopt.

There does not appear to be any regulation of fees.