Transracial Adoption Pros and Cons List

Having a family is a beautiful thing, and welcoming someone new into your family through adoption is one of life’s greatest treasures. Adoption means so much for both the parents and children involved. Through the process of adoptions, families from various races, cultures, and backgrounds can become one. If you are considering adoption in the near future, you may be considering the pros and cons of Transracial Adoption. While the basis of any family should be love, there are a few things to consider when adopting children of different backgrounds.

List of Pros of Transracial Adoption

1. More Opportunities for Adoption
Due to the high adoption rates of people adopting children from only their own races, there are a larger pool of children when choosing to adopt from different races. The majority of children that are adopted are of Non-Hispanic, white backgrounds.

That means that there are many more children of “minority” races that are available to be adopted. People waiting to adopt “non-minority” children are often put on waitlists that can take years.

2. A Greater Understanding of Diversity
Opening up your family to different races and cultures will open up your mind as well. By adopting outside of your race, you are welcoming new experiences and new knowledge in to your life and home. This is a great opportunity for you to grow and understand your fellow man a little better.

3. Adoption Insecurities are Handled More Successfully
Adoptees that are of different races than their new families are reported as having higher successes with handling the insecurities of being adopted. As these children know that they are indeed from a different family, the adopted individuals are able to accept and understand their adoption better than children that are of the same race as their adopted families.

List of Cons of Transracial Adoption

1. Struggles with Acceptance
Struggling with feeling accepted into the family is an obvious con of transracial adoption. Many adoptees that are of different races than their families, often feel “out of place” sooner than an adoptee from the same race might.

2. Public Scrutiny
Though many people in our modern world would love to claim we live in a post-racial society, if you adopt a child from a different race, you will get stare and comments from your friends, family, and strangers.

If you are considering adopting outside of your race, don’t be discouraged. Carefully consider the pros and cons of the issue and make the best decision in regards to your family.