SALT LAKE CITY — The cost of adopting a child through a private agency in Utah reached an unprecedented high of $160,000 during the last fiscal year, according to new numbers from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. This figure far exceeds previous estimates, which four years ago placed adoption costs between $30,000 and $60,000, according to an estimate from the Children’s Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health.
Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard, co-executive director of Utah Adoption Rights, criticized the soaring cost, stating there is no justification for such a high price. Her group was among those advocating for recent changes to the state's adoption laws. While the average cost of an adoption in Utah slightly declined from about $67,800 to just under $60,000 in the last fiscal year, the upper limit expanded dramatically from a previous high of around $90,000 to $160,000.
Ranyard points to "adoption tourism" as a significant factor driving these costs. She explains that this practice involves agencies recruiting vulnerable birth mothers from other states to Utah, offering uncapped, pregnancy-related financial support. "I think you look at certain line items that get tacked on with adoption tourism that don’t get tacked on if you stay in state," Ranyard said.
The report details some of these line items: living expenses, including housing, averaged $12,800 per adoption, with one case reaching nearly $56,000. Additionally, some Utah adoption agencies regularly advertise online to out-of-state women, at an average cost of about $12,600 and a high of $25,000. Ranyard emphasized that this practice, while not directly costing the state, places a significant financial burden on adoptive parents.
Further concerns arise from "other" fees listed in the report, which include "gifts, property, or other items that have been or will be provided to the biological or preexisting parents of the child." These costs averaged $29,300 per adoption, with a high of $73,400. Ranyard called this "simply outrageous," arguing that such items could be seen as an inducement for birth mothers to place their children for adoption, potentially commodifying children and preying on desperate individuals.
The rising cost of adoption was a central issue for legislators at the state Capitol earlier this year, leading to an overhaul of Utah’s adoption laws. The new legislation, among other changes, imposed an $8,000 limit on living expenses that can be paid to birth mothers. Rep. Katy Hall, the bill’s sponsor, told FOX 13 News earlier this spring that the change was prompted by stories of agencies providing birth mothers with large cash sums after signing adoption paperwork. Hall expressed hope that these caps would help reduce coercive behavior and lower "astronomical" costs for adoptive parents, ensuring support for birth mothers while maintaining reasonableness.
Currently, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that its Office of Licensing and the newly-created Adoption Consortium are working to implement these legislative changes. Last week, the consortium formalized a process for agencies to seek exemptions if they need to exceed the state's spending limits under special circumstances. While some adoption agencies have voiced concerns that the new caps might hinder their ability to assist birth mothers with "extreme needs," others have indicated they do not anticipate needing to request an exemption.
Despite the high costs detailed in the latest report, Ranyard believes the recent legislative actions have set Utah on a "much better track" moving forward. She expressed optimism that the next report, expected in 2028, will show a "huge difference" in the prices prospective parents are paying for adoptions in the state. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services provided additional data to FOX 13 News, noting that nine adoption agencies reported nearly $13.5 million in expenditures for 229 completed adoptions, with major cost drivers identified across these agencies.
