The Cost of Adoption for Birth Mothers in Indiana (Hint: It Is Free)

By: Grant Kirsh

If you are pregnant and thinking about how to give up your baby for adoption, money is probably one of your biggest worries. How much will this cost me? What about my medical bills if I do not have insurance? Can I even afford an attorney?

Let us put your mind at ease right away. For birth mothers in Indiana, adoption is free. You will never pay anything. And on top of that, financial help may be available to you during your pregnancy.

At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we have been helping Indiana birth mothers understand the financial side of adoption for nearly 50 years. We are a family-run law firm, not a national adoption agency, and we believe every woman deserves honest, clear answers about money.

How Much Will Adoption Cost Me?

Nothing. Our services are 100% free to birth mothers. You will never pay us anything, not for legal guidance, not for help finding a family, not for being here to support you. If any adoption professional ever tells you that you owe them money, walk away.

What About My Medical Bills?

If you do not have insurance or Medicaid, you may be worried about the cost of prenatal care, labor, and delivery. Here is the good news. Medical expenses related to your pregnancy and the birth can be paid by the adoptive family. This includes prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postnatal care not covered by insurance or Medicaid.

If you have private insurance with a large deductible, or insurance that will not cover certain costs, those expenses can also be addressed as part of the adoption. You should not have to carry the medical costs of a pregnancy on your own when you are placing your baby for adoption.

What Financial Help Can I Receive?

Under Indiana Code 35-46-1-9, adoptive families may pay up to $4,000 in living expenses on your behalf during your pregnancy. This can cover housing, food, maternity clothing, and other reasonable living costs.

Importantly, medical expenses and adoption-related transportation are not included in that $4,000 cap. So medical costs and transportation to your appointments are handled separately, on top of the living expense help.

Counseling costs should also be covered 100% by the adoptive family. Emotional support before and after placement is a core part of good adoption care, and you should never have to pay for it.

Can I Receive Money for the Baby?

No, and this is important to understand. Indiana law does not allow anyone to pay you for your baby. Buying or selling a child is illegal. The financial help you receive is for your living and medical expenses during pregnancy, not a payment for your child. Any arrangement that feels like you are being paid for the baby is a serious warning sign. A trustworthy adoption professional will never operate that way.

Will I Get in Trouble If I Take Money and Then Decide to Keep My Baby?

This is a common and understandable fear. Here is the answer: accepting financial assistance during your pregnancy does not obligate you to place your baby for adoption. You have the right to change your mind at any point before you sign the consent, which cannot happen until after your baby is born. We just ask that if you decide during your pregnancy that you are no longer proceeding with the adoption, you let us know, rather than continuing to collect living expense money.

We will always be honest with you about how this works. You are not signing your life away by accepting help. The protections are built into Indiana law.

You Also Get Your Own Attorney, Free

At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we were the first adoption professionals in Indiana to offer birth mothers their own independent attorney, someone who represents you and only you. If you want one, the adoptive family pays for it. You never pay a dime.

Whether you are in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend, Carmel, Fishers, Bloomington, Hammond, Gary, Muncie, Lafayette, Terre Haute, Kokomo, Anderson, or Greenwood, free help is available to you.

Call or text us at 800-333-5736. Visit us at IndianaAdoption.com. Everything is free and confidential.

About the Author
Grant Kirsh is a second-generation adoption attorney and owner of Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., a family law firm in Indianapolis, Indiana that has been serving Indiana families since 1981. Grant graduated from Indiana University McKinney School of Law in 2013 and has personally handled nearly 3,000 foster care adoptions and his law firm has handled over 5,000 private newborn adoptions. He practices all forms of domestic adoption, with a deep personal commitment to expectant mothers considering adoption in Indiana and Indiana’s foster care system and the families and children it serves.