November 21, 2025
“As a child of adoption, I know firsthand that it’s the greatest blessing for a child and a family.”
WASHINGTON – Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) will introduce two bills to strengthen the adoption process, the Adoption Deserves Oversight, Protection and Transparency (ADOPT) Act and the Hospital Adoption Education Act of 2025.
The ADOPT Act would combat exploitation by unlicensed adoption intermediaries and protect both adoptees and expectant mothers.
Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) are co-leading the bill.
“As a child of adoption, I know firsthand that it’s the greatest blessing for a child and a family. It’s critical the adoption process is safe and ethical. Too often, unlicensed individuals—so-called baby brokers—exploit vulnerable mothers and hopeful families through fraud and manipulation. This bill ensures that every adoption goes through licensed, trusted professionals so birth mothers are protected and families can have confidence in the process. It’s an important first step toward ending exploitation in adoption, and I’m proud to lead it to make clear: the adoption system should serve families, not fraudsters,” said Husted.
“Adoption changes lives — for kids and adoptive parents alike. Unfortunately, unlicensed ‘baby brokers’ prey on vulnerable mothers and families, hurting everyone in the process. That’s why Senator Britt and I are introducing the bipartisan ADOPT Act, which protects expecting mothers and adoptive families from exploitation by ensuring that parents pursuing private, domestic adoption are working with trusted, licensed professionals,” said Klobuchar.
“I believe it is incumbent upon Congress to ensure loving parents pursuing adoption to grow their families, expectant mothers working with adoption providers, and children are protected from bad actors seeking to take advantage of the adoption process. This legislation does just that, establishing necessary oversight in the adoption process to promote transparency and uphold the integrity of adoption in our nation. I’ll always use my position on the federal level to fight for women, children, and families, and I’m proud to join my colleagues in this latest effort to defend those involved in the adoption process from exploitation,” said Britt.
The bipartisan bill would:
- Limit adoption professionals to running paid advertisements only in the states where they hold a license.
- Ensures payments to expectant mothers are made through a provider that is licensed where the expectant mother resides.
- Prohibit unlicensed entities from advertising or providing adoption services.
Throughout prenatal care, women often rely on health care and medical professionals for information on adoption. The Hospital Adoption Education Act of 2025 would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop training for certain health care professionals to provide accurate, ethical and unbiased information to expectant mothers when considering adoption.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is co-leading the bill. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) introduced the companion bill to the Hospital Adoption Education Act of 2025 in the House of Representatives.
“Too often, medical professionals who are discussing adoption are unaware of how their words can unintentionally influence birth mothers. I’m thankful my birth mother chose life and my parents adopted me. More children and families deserve to have stable, caring families like the one I grew up in. To support birth moms, kids and families, I’m leading a bill that would ensure health care providers are equipped to provide accurate, compassionate and impartial information to birth mothers and adoptive families. My hope is that a little more knowledge will help more loving families grow through adoption—just like mine did. I want to thank Rep. Smucker and his House colleagues for their leadership on this pro-family bill,” said Husted.
“My wife, Christie, and I are the proud parents to six wonderful kids. And if we hadn’t placed our trust in God’s plan, we would have missed out on three of the greatest blessings in our lives. My family is what it is today because of adoption. Families and birth moms deserve to be supported throughout the adoption process. I am proud to join with my colleagues on this effort to ensure that all health care professionals and hospital staff are equipped with the information necessary to best inform those in the midst of choosing adoption. Christie and I thank God every day for our family and hope that more families experience the beautiful, life-changing, impacts of adoption,”said Mullin.
“Medical workers should be equipped with the knowledge to provide families and expectant mothers considering or pursuing adoption with appropriate care. Ensuring that they are properly educated and trained on the unique sensitivities these families and mothers face throughout the process will promote respectful, neutral care, securing better long-term health and emotional outcomes for mothers, children, and prospective families alike. I am grateful for Senator Husted’s commitment to supporting mothers and families, and proud to work alongside him to advance this important legislation,” said Smucker.
The bill would also gather adoption experts to develop and share best practices for health care professionals to use when they interact with birth mothers and adoptive families.
These bills continue Husted’s advocacy for adoption and foster care families. The Senate passed Husted’s resolution to recognize May as National Foster Care Month.