A campaign has been launched to save the adoption tax credit. The current tax credit law is set to expire at the end of the year.
If the law is not reapproved the adoption tax credit will drop to a much lower level. Bill Blacquiere of Bethany Christian Services believes that will result in fewer children finding adoptive homes.
"Without the tax credit, thousands of parents who could not afford to do adoption would just simply not be able to adopt children, and in the United States there are over 100,000 children who are waiting for an adoptive placement," he says.
The tax credit has empowered many people who were willing but financially unable to adopt them. Otherwise the children stay in foster care until they are age 17 and are released on their own.
"Up to 30% will end up being homeless," Blacquiere tellsOneNewsNow. "Over 60% will not finish high school, which again then tells us they will not get meaningful employment or be able to care for themselves. 40% end up on public assistance and over 40% end incarcerated and in prisons."
That's partly the result of children not having families. Blacquiere is encouraging people to go to the National Council for Adoption's website to find ways to encourage Washington to retain the tax credit.