I received an email this week from The Weekly that the adoption tax credit, initially passed by Congress in 1997, is in jeopardy. This is a $13,500 tax credit that helps ease the financial burden of adoption on many infertile couples who have already faced exorbitant bills for infertility treatment.
Under the new tax-reform plan introduced this week, the adoption tax credit would be eliminated.
As this article from The Weekly points out:
Adoption strengthens families, communities, and our nation. When vulnerable children without families are adopted into loving families – whether through foster care, domestic adoption, or intercountry adoption – we are all better off. Children within loving families live healthier and more successful lives compared to those in the foster care system, whether you’re looking at graduation and employment rates or incarceration and homelessness.
I have several friends considering adoption right now and their number one concern is the cost of adoption, which can vary widely from $15,000-$50,000. When my husband and I adopted in 2002 and again in 2005, the adoption tax credit lessened the sting of going into debt to create our family.
The new tax reform plan is not a done deal and this week I am asking you to make your voice heard in Congress. You can find your representative here by simply entering your zip code. If you are a supporter of adoption, please call your representative and share your opinion. You might say something like this:
I hear that the new tax-reform plan will eliminate the adoption tax credit. As someone who has adopted/someone planning to adopt/a friend of someone who has adopted, I would like to voice my concern about this plan. As you probably know, most Americans cannot afford to adopt without some financial assistance and adoption is good for everyone: the couple, the child who is placed in a loving family, and for our country, which benefits from the stability of families and the contributions they make to our society. I hope you will stand with adoptive families and stand against any plan that would eliminate the adoption tax credit. Thank you for your time.
It's just one phone call, friends, and it could make a huge difference to the futures of infertile couples, kids, and our country. Thanks for taking the time to stand for adoption!