Minnesota Statutes Public Welfare and Related Activities (Ch. 245-267) § 259.55. Payment of birth parent expenses; penalty

(1) reasonable counseling, medical, and legal fees, which shall be paid directly to the provider of the service;

(2) reasonable expenses for transportation, meals, and lodging incurred for placement of the child or in order to receive counseling, legal, or medical services related to the pregnancy, birth, or placement;

(3) reasonable expenses for adoption services provided by an agency at the request of the birth parent, which shall be paid directly to the agency; and

(4) reasonable living expenses of the birth mother which are needed to maintain an adequate standard of living which the birth mother is unable to otherwise maintain because of loss of income or other support resulting from the pregnancy.

Subd. 3. Prohibited payments; penalty. (a) Except as authorized under subdivision 1, it is a gross misdemeanor for an individual to give, or for a birth parent to accept, money or anything of value, or compensation for the placement of a child for adoption.

(b) It is a gross misdemeanor for any person to give money or anything of value to the birth parent of a child if the person is engaged or has engaged in any placement activity, as defined in section 259.21, subdivision 9, in connection with the adoption of the child.

(c) An offense under this subdivision shall be prosecuted by the county attorney.