Woman says she wanted a home for her son, not money

A woman who lives in a state adjacent to Louisiana firmly states she was seeking to put her son up for adoption, not trying to sell the 4-month-old boy, when she was arrested on charges of abandoning her son.

The woman, 26, said she could no longer care for the baby and took out an ad, seeking someone to cover the legal costs of the adoption. From jail, she said she would never make money off her son.The woman was arrested after police got a report of an abandoned child in the area. The woman said she just stepped out for air and had not deserted the baby, but she is being held on $50,000 bond at the Dallas County Jail.

The woman said she took out an ad in a local publication, inviting parents to apply for adoption and warning them that such a adoption would be expensive. The starting cost to work with the agency is $6,500, she said, adding she wanted to spell out the costs and that she did not expect a kickback from it.

The woman said she had put another child, also 4 months old, up for adoption in 2009. She received $4,000 from the agency, which she said she didn’t think was appropriate under the circumstances.

In this case, the woman went to the search engine Google and learned the various ways to put up a child for adoption. She said she the ad was the only way to contact prospective parents. She said her only motivation was to seek a better life for her son. Her job as a receptionist didn’t pay enough to support them, she said.

The baby has been sent to the care of the regional Child Protective Services pending further action.

Adoption is a difficult decision for a birth mother to arrive at when she realizes she is not able to financially support her baby. For a parent incapable of financially supporting herself, the addition of a new family member can instigate feelings of desperation. While it is unclear what the true motives were for this woman, adoption is a viable option for many birth parents. However, it is important that adoption is approached correctly (and legally) in order avoid the problems this woman has now encountered.

Source: KVUE, “Texas mom insists child wasn’t for sale, but up for adoption,” Jonathan Betz, June 26, 2012