Transracial Adoption
Transracial adoption, simply put, is the adoption of children with a different ethnicity, or racial background than that of the adoptive parents. The media portrays transracial adoption as problematic primarily because a number of celebrities tend to adopt children from other countries rather than the children who are in need within their own country of origin. In addition, the media portrays transracial adoption as the latest “fad” primarily because even individuals who are not financially on the same level as celebrities tend to want to adopt a child because a certain celebrity has done so. There is the desire to maintain the status quo. Therefore, based on the research, there are two primary reasons why transracial adoptions are perceived as negative which are: the perception that children should be adopted by individuals who share similar ethnic backgrounds, and the majority of children who are being adopted transracially are from other countries rather than the country of the individual who is adopting them.
Transracial adoptions are perceived to be negative because the believers feel that children should be adopted by individuals who share similar ethnic background primarily so that the child can feel securely attached to the family. In addition, when children match the genetic background or ethnicity of the adoptive parents, it is easier for the adoptive parents to feel securely attached to the child as though the child is their own (Andrew Morrison 2004; Courtney, Mark, 1997). According to Fenster, Judy, (2002) children who share the same genetic make-up or ethnicity as the adoptive parents, tend to do well in all aspects of their lives. They tend to develop stronger bonds, have better communication, and a more secure identity and view of themselves.
Another reason why transracial adoptions tend to be perceived negative is caused by the belief that these children come from various lesser developed countries. From this perspective children from the country of origin of the adoptive parents tend to be forgotten or treated worse and remain in the foster care system much longer than necessary. For example, if an American born Caucasian couple, wanting to expand their family but are unable to conceive a child, finds an agency that is able to fulfill their desire by finding a child who is available for adoption in Ghana, Africa. There are a number of people who would be opposed to this adoption due to the fact that the child is not only of a different race and ethnicity but of a different nationality and culture therefore forcing a child who could have been adopted in an American adoption agency from being adopted.
However, transracial adoptions are actually good because while it takes courageous adoptive parents to explore and cross cultural barriers, transracial adoptions reduce the number of disparities within the foster care system primarily because children from minority backgrounds are usually the children who are adopted transracially. The ultimate goal for any type of adoption is to provide children with more stability, a permanent home, and to be surrounded by people who will nurture them and accept them for who they are not for who they represent as a race, ethnicity, or as a culture. It is for these reasons that transracial adoption is extremely beneficial to the particular population it serves. It is also important because it teaches children about culture awareness form personal experience, it also teaches children about how to be non-judgmental and to be more open to accepting different cultures and ethnicities because they themselves were accepted by individuals form various cultures and ethnicities.
Transracial adoption can be a good thing if it is done right, according to (Andrew Morrison 2004; Courtney, Mark, 1997). First of all, transracial adoption places children in home which provides the children a stable place to live. It provides
