Politically Correct Phrases Describing Adoption
Updated Language for Adoptive Parents and Birth Families
Jun 9, 2009
In addition to updating adoption related terms, many of the phrases used to describe adoption have evolved with time as well. Several phrases have been updated to eliminate the negative connotations associated with them and others have been created to better describe the processes that exist in adoption today.
Adoption Phrases that are Outdated
Many adoption phrases are no longer politically correct because of the negative images they portray or they underemphasize the magnitude of the decisions made in adoption.
The phrase put up for adoption is from the days when people were sold as slaves and “put up” on the auction block to be seen by prospective buyers. In addition, the phrase that a child was given up for adoption has also changed to indicate that the future of the child was considered and adoption was one of the options available. In both instances, it is politically correct to say that a birth mother made an adoption plan for her baby or the birthparents transferred their parental rights.
For some adoption phrases a small word change can affect the whole meaning of what is being said. Consider the following differences:
- A person was adopted rather than is adopted, as the process of adoption is an event and not a characteristic of a person.
- A birthmother made a decision to parent her baby rather than kept the baby, because a child is not a gift to be kept or given away.
- The family has children by both birth and adoption rather than they have two adopted kids in addition to their own, as all kids in the family are their own.
It is also important to consider how kids are labeled in adoption. Children who are not living with their birthfamilies but have not yet been adopted are called waiting children, a phrase more accurate and positive than the words adoptable child, available child or orphaned child.
Words and Phrases Unique to Adoption
As adoption processes and the needs of adoptive families have changed over time, it has also become necessary to expand the vocabulary of adoption to become more accurate. International adoption in particular has been the catalyst for many of the new adoption phrases.
According to the Oxford Canadian Dictionary, one meaning of the word foreign is something that is “unfamiliar, strange, and uncharacteristic”, which could paint the phrase foreign adoption in a negative way. As a result, it is preferable that the process of adopting a child from another country be referred to as an international adoption or intercountry adoption.
Often used interchangeably, the terms transracial adoption and transcultural adoption are both appropriate to use when describing adoptive families who are multicultural. They do not, however, mean the same thing. Transracial adoption occurs when a child does not share the same race or ethnicity as his adoptive parents. Transcultural adoption happens when the child’s cultural traditions are different than those of the adoptive parents even if they are of the same race.
As changes have occurred in adoption, many of the phrases used by previous generations are no longer accurate and perpetuate negative stereotypes. By using updated phrases to describe adoption relationships and processes, the concept of adoption becomes more positive.
References
“foreign.” Oxford Canadian Dictionary. Reprint ed. 2004.
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