The girl’s skin is a beautiful dark brown, while her parents are a pretty pale white. Many turn their nose up at the sight. ‘They should have let black parents adopt her.’ ‘How will they prepare her for racism?.’ people criticize, frowns creasing their brows in disappointment. National data from the US shows that from 1996 to 2003, only 14.7 percent of adoptions in which state agencies were involved were transracial placements (Patton). Nevertheless, transracial adoption is a very controversial topic in society. Many believe that transracial adoptions are unhealthy for children, while others think that they can significantly improve adoptees' quality of life.

Many people against transracial adoption believe that it is a form of genocide. “Definition of genocide published by the International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide in 1948 says that the ‘forcible transferring of children of a group to another group’ constitutes genocide” (Patton). This gives opponents a reason to be against transracial adoption. Most transracial adoptions involve white parents and a minority child because due to things like culture and racism, there are more white parents adopted and most children put in the adoption system and foster care system are minorities. So many children that are of a minority race that move into white houses are removed from their culture, and their ancestry is removed as their adoptive parents do not believe it is essential. 

Most times, when a child of a minority race is adopted from a country of war, the adopters are glorified for saving a poor child from a worse fate. However, it erases so much of the child's culture and language by taking them away from it. “I was raised in racial isolation, which caused me to have a fractured identity, experiencing racial confusion and internal bias. When I looked in the mirror, the face I saw was not what I expected or wanted to see.” (Lee). This quote shows that transracial adoption gives the child a sense of isolation as they feel as if they do not fit anywhere since they were raised with a sort of racial blindness, as if they were white. However, they are not, and it is evident in their features to others that they are not, so they do not fit in with white people, but because of their ignorance and removal of their own culture, they do not feel like they fit in with other cultures either. They feel as if they are an imposter to anyone they meet. This is primarily because of the denial of their family and friends that they even notice that they are of another race, despite the ignorant comments that may be thrown in their direction. Being in the situation can be incredibly damaging to a child’s health, as stated in the quote, can make them develop unhealthy fractured identity and internal bias, even when their adopters promised them a healthy life. Lastly, another point that those against transracial adoption claim is that white parents cannot prepare their minority child for the racism and prejudice they will eventually face, having never faced it themselves.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are many who support transracial adoption. Supporters believe that the number of transracial adoption is not enough to count as genocide, and that even if it were, the child's well-being is more important than the one of their ethnic or racial group when it comes to their adoption. To respond to the claims that white parents are not equipped to prepare their children against racism and brutality, they say that that is true, but that even minority parents have trouble with their children. They believe that it is always a challenging conversation with a child you adore and love. Besides, white parents can research and be educated on how to address the issue with their children. To support the child to the best of their ability, there are a lot of books on that difficult conversation and on race that can help them in the end.

Though children have a small chance of being harmed in transracial adoptions, they have a high likelihood of being harmed in the foster care system, where many transracially adopted children were cared for prior to being adopted. The foster care system in the US can be a very unsafe place, and they believe that adoption, no matter what kind, is always the best option for the child. Besides, according to Sandra Patton many studies show that most transracially adopted children with educated parents grow up with a healthy identity, good self-esteem, and top-notch mental health. Plus, they believe that the benefits of transracial adoption heavily outweigh the negatives. "Having a multi-race family can bring culturally enriching experiences, especially if the family were to embrace cultural diversity and seek opportunities to expand their cultural horizons." (Tsakopulos). They think that the familial bond formed from a transracial adoption provides the positive development of diversity, their sense of acceptance towards other cultures, and their sense of belonging in their own culture and family. Researching and embracing the child’s minority culture can build a positive ethnic identity for themselves.

I believe that many factors can lead to transracial adoption and contribute to the outcome of how healthy it is. Due to many racially motivated reasons, minority parents wanting to adopt are often discouraged subtly by those around them and even adoption agencies. There are indeed many things in the adoption and foster care system that should be changed for the better that would reduce transracial adoptions, but I do not believe that all transracial adopts are terrible. Like anything, there are bad situations involving transracial adoptions, but in the end, most transracial adopted children have a positive adoption experience.

There are many things that a white parent should know about before going into transracial adoption, of course. There is so much research that can be done, not only on how to talk about the racism they will face but also on a child's culture. I think that even if a transracially adopted child grows up in white culture, they should still be in touch with their own culture because, in the end, they are not white, and it is not healthy to make them believe that they are. Parents should acknowledge how they are different and okay and how their culture is not weird. It is beautiful and new. In the end, I believe that transracial adoptions are healthy for children, especially if they are the best option, but there is always research and work to put in so that the child’s new home is the healthiest possible environment for them.

In conclusion, while transracial adoptions are only a minor statistic in the world of adoption, it is a critical issue for the health of the children in that small statistic. There are many supporters and opponents, with many pros and cons on each side of the issue. However, both sides have one thing in common: they claim that they want what is best for the child. In adoption, the well-being and safety of the child are essential and that is what everyone should prioritize when making a final decision on adoption.

Works Cited

Lee, JS. "The Trauma of Transracial Adoption." YES! Magazine, 13 Nov. 2019, www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2019/11/13/adoption-trauma-transracial. Accessed 12 May 2022.

Patton, Sandra, editor. "Issues and Controversies - Transracial Adoptions." Infobase, 31 Oct. 2011, icof.infobase.com/articles/QXJ0aWNsZVRleHQ6MTYxNjU=. Accessed 12 May 2022.

Tsakopulos, Taylor. "The Benefits of Transracial Adoption." Adoption and Surrogacy Choices, 3 Jan. 2020, www.adoptionchoices.org/benefits-of-transracial-adoption/. Accessed 13 May 2022.