Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is under fire after claiming that Black babies are available for adoption at a “discount.” The remark was intended to highlight racial disparities in the adoption process, but instead revealed just how out-of-touch progressive elites can be when discussing matters of race and family. Adoption advocates and experts quickly pushed back, calling the comment offensive, misleading, and harmful to the very children and families Buttigieg claimed to support.
Buttigieg recently sparked backlash after he suggested that adopting white children involves a “list” and a “deposit on a fetus,” while implying Black children are adopted at a discount. He claimed that the U.S. adoption system exposes so-called ongoing racial disparities, saying that prospective parents who specify they only want to adopt a white child face longer waitlists, while those open to adopting children of any race may even receive fee discounts or have deposits waived.
“Anybody who says race is not a thing in this country should experience an adoption process, where there are literally different lists if you say that you want a white kid only versus if you say that doesn’t matter,” Buttigieg said on the Flagrant podcast. “Literally a different list. The list for ‘white kid only’ is longer. And not only that, there was actually a discount — or, you didn’t have to pay a deposit on the fees. This is, like, how it works. I couldn’t believe it.”
However, Ryan Hanlon, president of the National Council for Adoption, rebutted Buttigieg’s comments in an op-ed for The Hill. Hanlon, who describes himself as an adoption expert, explained that Buttigieg’s description of the adoption process misrepresents how private adoption actually works. He warned that such misleading narratives could harm the children and families involved.
He cited data that showed that fewer than a third of mothers consider race as a significant factor when selecting parents.
“Even more concerning are recent assertions that adoption agencies have begun to lower the cost associated with adopting black children,” Hanlon said. “This is an unfounded and damaging claim. No credible agency bases its fees on the race of a child. To suggest otherwise is to malign the ethical professionals who work tirelessly to ensure every child is placed in a loving home.”