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Adoption is a social phenomenon that spans centuries, cultures, and nations. It is the focal point of many policies, laws, and public attitudes. In the United States, adoption legislation and practices change and reflect society's evolving perspectives. Interracial adoption, once generally accepted and promoted during the Civil Rights Movement, now faces intense debate among social service professionals and greater society. Despite several arguments against interracial adoption, there exist even more compelling reasons for individuals and civilizations to support and encourage this practice.
Children without permanent families and homes desperately need and deserve love and stability. It seems reasonable to state that society concurs with this statement. Since the procurement of an affectionate and stable environment for children is the principal objective of adoption, it appears the racial composition of a prospective family is of lesser concern. In other words, the races of adopted children and their respective parents pale significantly in light of a more pressing issue -- children's fundamental needs of and rights to love and constancy. A plain and logical observation, this forms the foundation from which proponents espouse cross-racial adoption.
Consider the alternative viewpoint. There is a growing movement for racial compatibility within adoptive families. Opponents of interracial adoption claim that placing minorities within majority families results in cultural genocide of the former (Kennedy 1). This argument overlooks the irrevocable psychological damage minorities experience while waiting for racially similar adoptive parents. The demand for racial compatibility considerably delays or even prevents placement. Said differently, by strictly adhering to a policy of racial congruency, minority children may undergo protracted experiences within the foster care system and/or may never be adopted. Considering the injuries such a limiting policy creates, one must wonder how it can possibly take precedence over more children's immediate needs for a caring and permanent albeit racially divergent home. Certainly this situation defeats...
Opponents assume that racial identity is not possible in families whose races differ from those of adopted children. This claim rests on the assumption that parents do not acknowledge their adopted children's native culture. However, studies reveal that many parents encourage their adopted children to explore and express their cultural roots (Bashir 3). For example, adopting parents may expose their minority children to prominent and positive role models. In addition, parents may provide their children with ample opportunities for social interaction with racially similar peers. Open dialogue about ethnic issues is yet another way to promote cross-racial understanding and tolerance. Such widespread parental efforts certainly weaken the argument that cultural genocide is inevitable when interracial adoption occurs.
Perhaps more important is the notion that cultural identity is not determined solely by familial relationships. Culture is possible only within a larger societal framework. Without doubt, family plays a crucial role in one's self-image; however, society also holds great sway over an individual's identity. It follows that minority children adopted into majority families can access their racial heritage through various societal organizations and mechanisms. Since the United States is a pluralistic society, there is no uncertainty that its citizens are increasingly able to access information and support regarding their respective heritages. Coupling this with the mentioned parental efforts to educate and support their minority children, there need not be the fear that the latter will automatically lose their racial identity.
There is substantial evidence that refutes the idea of cultural genocide. Research indicates the vast majority of 'transracial adoptees ... enjoyed their family life ... And felt they had loving and supportive parents' (Kennedy 2). What's more 'there was no evidence that transracial adoptions left children incapable of living…
References
Bashir, Samiya A. 'The Best Interest of the Child.' Colorlines Magazine: Race, Action,
Culture. (2002): 1-5.
Courtney, Mark E. 'The Politics and Realities of Transracial Adoption.' Youth Law
News 14.1 (1998): 1-10.
Of this group. 50% were male, 50% were female, 38% were White, 35% were Black, and 16% were Hispanic. Adoption statistics are difficult to find because reporting is not as complete as it should be. The government spent $2.6 billion dollars to conduct the 1990 Census, but still it under-represented minorities and categorized children as "natural or by adoption" without differentiating, while special laws were implemented to "protect" and
Interracial Adoption: Cultural Genocide Adoption between same-race children and parents is a difficult task. Filling the emotional needs of a child who has lost one or both parents presents a multitude of adjustment problems for both the child and adoptive parents. People who choose to adopt are compassionate and caring, or they would not want to adopt in the first place. The child is coming from place of familiarity into the
Sociology Aboriginal Social Work Why are outcomes for Aboriginal children who are transracially adopted described as poor? The outcomes for Aboriginal children who are transracially adopted are often not good due to a number of different factors. One factor is that transracial children frequently find it hard to adjust to the new culture in which they find themselves and thus have a hard time figuring out their identity. Another factor is that they
This added discrimination can make it more difficult for interracial gay and lesbian couples. Just as there has been an increase in the number of heterosexual interracial couples, there has also been an increase in the number of interracial gay and lesbian couples. A great deal of this increase is dependent on geographic location. Gay and Lesbian people living in California, and New York are much more likely to have
These may include the parental workplace, school boards, social service agencies, and planning commissions." (Strengthening the Family: Implications for International Development, nd) Four: The Macro-system Macro-systems are 'blueprints' for interlocking social forces at the macro-level and their interrelationships in shaping human development. They provide the broad ideological and organizational patterns within which the meso- and exo-systems reflect the ecology of human development. Macro-systems are not static, but might change through evolution
country currently allows single adults to adopt children. This may be less surprising than the fact that singles have been legally eligible to adopt since the first adoption laws were passed in the mid-nineteenth century. Indeed, the "spinster" who took in children was a staple of Victorian moral fiction and a recurrent figure inadoption narratives. A fair number of unmarried women (Jessie Taft was one) adopted children in the