Per Foster Care Georgia (2019) there are 13,873 children in foster care. The annual cost to taxpayers for foster care ranges anywhere from $80 million to $125 million, depending on your source. A lot of that comes from federal funding, so if you think you’re not paying for Georgia’s situation you’re wrong.
The national statistics on the long term economic impact (from National Foster Youth Institue):
*More than 23,000 children will age out of the US foster care system every year.
*After reaching the age of 18, 20% of the children who were in foster care will become instantly homeless.
*Only 1 out of every 2 foster kids who age out of the system will have some form of gainful employment by the age of 24.
*There is less than a 3% chance for children who have aged out of foster care to earn a college degree at any point in their life.
*7 out of 10 girls who age out of the foster care system will become pregnant before the age of 21.
*75% of women and 33% of men receive government benefits to meet basic needs after they age out of the system.
*More than 23,000 children will age out of the US foster care system every year.
*After reaching the age of 18, 20% of the children who were in foster care will become instantly homeless.
*Only 1 out of every 2 foster kids who age out of the system will have some form of gainful employment by the age of 24.
*There is less than a 3% chance for children who have aged out of foster care to earn a college degree at any point in their life.
*7 out of 10 girls who age out of the foster care system will become pregnant before the age of 21.
*75% of women and 33% of men receive government benefits to meet basic needs after they age out of the system.
Per a friend who works in Juvenile Court, “I know the heartbeat bill will make my job at the courthouse hellish. Dependency cases will greatly increase, and we're already running short on foster parents available to take on more children. This will also be a strain on the Department of Children and Family Services. Staff turnover was already high due to massive caseloads for very little pay.”
Anyone who says,“this is not my problem” is sorely mistaken. This bill will significantly increase costs to the taxpayer and the burden on government.
On the other hand, Colorado began offering long acting, reversible birth control for the last 5 years. They have seen a 40% drop in unintended pregnancies. Abortion rates have dropped by 42%. And according the Colorado Department of Public Health, for every $1 they invested they have saved $5.85 in Medicaid related charges (this does not take into account child services/foster care savings).
So if you really care about unborn children, why are you not advocating for methods that have proven successful in preventing abortion?
