Senator Jon Husted has announced his leadership on two bipartisan bills aimed at protecting families and children in the adoption process. The announcement comes during National Adoption Month.
The first bill, the ADOPT Act, seeks to address exploitation by unlicensed adoption intermediaries. It is co-led by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.). The legislation would require that all adoptions be handled by licensed professionals, aiming to prevent fraud and manipulation that can occur when so-called “baby brokers” are involved.
“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.
A second measure—the Hospital Adoption Education Act of 2025—is also being advanced by Husted along with Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), with Representative Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives. This bill would require training for certain health care professionals so they can provide accurate information about adoption options without bias or undue influence when speaking with expectant mothers.
“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 supporting mothers,families,and proud work alongside him advance this important legislation,” said Smucker.
The proposed law would also bring together experts in adoption practices so they can develop guidelines for healthcare workers interacting with both birth mothers as well as adoptive parents.
These efforts build upon previous work by Husted related to foster care advocacy; earlier this year,the Senate approved his resolution recognizing May as National Foster Care Month.
