Interracial Adoption

No matter the circumstances, adoptive parents face an array of serious questions: Will my child feel accepted in an adoptive family? What role will his or her background or genetic factors play? And perhaps most importantly: Am I ready to adopt knowing that I cannot be absolutely certain of what the answers to these and other questions might be?

One of the most controversial issues in dealing with adoption is that of interracial adoption, or the placing of children of one racial or ethnic group with family from another distinct background. For a long time, societal pressures and biased views dictated that interracial adoptions simply could not work out – that the child would feel alienated and too fundamentally different to thrive within his or her new family.

Although federal laws passed in the 1990s excluded race as being the sole factor in determining placement, those hoping for interracial adoption still face an uphill battle today. Most public agencies continue to put up bureaucratic barriers to discourage interracial adoption, and some experts even recommend that at least one parent come from the same racial background as the child to foster a sense of “cultural identity.”

Others maintain, however, that this view is fundamentally backward-thinking and pessimistic, and that all a child truly needs to succeed is a loving and supportive family. While there can be no debate that a child growing up with parents of a different racial background will eventually have to confront some major questions about his or her own identity, people sharing this view maintain that if the parents are honest and comfortable with their decision, the child will ultimately lead a happy and rewarding life.

Contact Us

For more information on open adoption and the adoption process in California, contact the San Jose family lawyers of the Law Office of Daniel Jensen at 408-296-4100.