February 03, 2014
Adoption News Round-up
The New York Times has opened up a discussion on their Opinion Pages about whether or not “In Adoption, Does Race Matter?” Both sides of the discussion have very staunch points-of-view and seek to examine such questions as: “Does transracial adoption harm children or communities? Is it ideal for children to be raised by parents who look like them?”
And here’s a link to the arguments of some of the issue’s debaters, including professors, authors, and an individual from the National Association of Black Social Workers.
Christianity Today published a feature that we definitely agree with, calling birth mothers “the Unsung Heroes of the Adoption Movement,” while sharing information about a new ministry developed by people trying to change the public perception of birth mothers. We have nothing but immense, endless respect for the selfishness of birthmothers, and are excited to see this message being spread in such a passionate way.
Katrina Morris was unable to go through with her adoption of 8 year-old Lera, a child with Down syndrome whom she was trying to adopt from Russia. But that hasn’t stopped her from trying to find parents for the little girl. She’s now back in Russia, trying to recruit a Russian couple to adopt little Lera and to give her a family. “She’s my daughter until she’s someone else’s daughter,” Morriss said…There’s a child living in an orphanage who deserves a family — and she had one.”
In this Huffington Post piece, an adoptive mother explores the implications of genetics on adoption and the concept of nature vs. nurture. She discusses the fact that while nurture certainly has a bold impact on the growth and development of a child, there are some things that can’t be denied about the power of genetics.
We’re so thrilled to see that same-sex couples will now be allowed to adopt in Ireland!
Lots of inquiries about the pros and cons of different types of adoption running around the web this week! The Huffington Post ran an article discussing the author’s qualms with the terminology “real.” As in, who are an adopted child’s “real” parents? “The worst part is what adult arguing does to children who are still trying to figure out semantics and the games that we who are supposed to be more intelligent can play with them. My adopted children have struggled with the word “real,” though it has never been used to describe any aspect of family, first-family-related, or otherwise, in our home.”