Adoption

Adoption is the legal act of permanently placing a child with a parent or parents other than the birth parents. Adoption results in the severing of the parental responsibilities and rights of the biological parents and the placing of those responsibilities and rights onto the adoptive parents. After the finalization of an adoption, there is little or no legal difference between biological and adopted children.

Positive adoption language

In most cultures, adoptive families face adoptism. Adoptism is made evident in English speaking cultures by the prominent use of negative or inaccurate language describing adoption. To combat adoptism, many adoptive families encourage positive adoption language. On the other hand, many natural parents see "positive adoption language" as language which glosses over painful facts.

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Non-preferred:

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Preferred:

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Reason for preference:

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your own child

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birth child

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Saying a birth child is your own child or one of your own children implies that an adopted child is not.

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child is adopted

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child was adopted

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Some adoptees believe that their adoption is not their identity, but is an event that happened to them. ("Adopted" becomes a participle rather than an adjective.) Others contend that "is adopted" makes adoption sound like a disability to be overcome.

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give up for adoption

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place for adoption

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or

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make an adoption plan

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"Give up" implies a lack of value. The preferred terms are more emotionally neutral.

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real mother/father/parent

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birth, biological or genetic

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mother/father/parent

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The use of the term "real" implies that the adoptive family is artificial, and is not as descriptive.

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birth mother/father/parent

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natural mother/father/parent

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A contrary view to the above, especially held by those in Ireland who cared for their children before being forced to relinquish them to adoption, is that the term 'birth' mother implies that they only served as a brood mare when in fact they often raised and cared for their children for up to two years.http://www.adoptionloss.ie/history.htm

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your adopted child

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your child

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The use of the adjective 'adopted' signals that the relationship is qualitatively different from that of parents to birth children.

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