Juno's Adoption Costs

Ellen Page turns 21 on Thursday, so she'll able to celebrate with champagne if her portrayal of pregnant teen Juno MacGuff wins the Academy Award for Best Actress. The movie Juno, about a pregnant teen who puts her baby up for adoption, cost less than $10 million to produce, and has now grossed more than $100 million. It is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. Canadian-born Page made such an impact with this character that she will be featured in Barbara Walters’ pre-Oscar special on Sunday, along with Harrison Ford, Vanessa Williams and Hannah Montana actress Miley Cyrus.

In this weeklong series highlighting Oscar’s Best Picture nominees, MainStreet will use each nominated movie to illustrate a different personal finance topic. For Juno, it’s what you can (financially) expect when you’re expecting…to go through the adoption process.

In the film, the Lorings, a caring couple played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, pay Juno’s medical expenses. But in real life, the process of adopting a baby in the United States is a lot less scripted. Every state has different laws and policies regarding adoption. (To see how your state treats adoptions, click here.)

Total costs vary. According to a study conducted by AdoptiveFamilies.com, more than half of domestic adoptions cost $15,000 or less, not including tax credits. The same study, however, reported that 16% of adoptive parents pay $25,000 or more for all domestic adoption expenses which include travel costs, legal fees, and a potential stipend for the birth mother during her pregnancy.