Kudos: Adoption Synonymy: the Erasure of Adult Adoptees From Adoption

From time to time, REFORM Talk will offer our kudos to particularly insightful blog posts-old and new. We came across this great July 30, 2012 Declassified Adoptee post called Adoption Synonymy: the Erasure of Adult Adoptees From Adoption.

Her conclusion is one we all need to take to heart: “Ultimately, it has become a necessity for all of us in Reform–adult adoptees, original parents, and adoptive parents–to remind others that all members of the “triad” are important.  We all need to be a visible part of adoption.  “Adoption” and “adoptive parent” are not interchangeable synonyms. Adoption is an institution, not a person. As an institution, it impacts just about every vulnerable population in this world that one could imagine. Because of this, we need to be critical of it. We need to expose its flaws, discuss its triumphs, and be realistic about its global impact. We cannot mistake these things for being egregious assaults against parents who have adopted, surrendering parents, or other adoptees themselves.  In truth, there is nothing “anti-adoption” or “anti-adoptive parent” about wanting an adoption that works well, works better, and works more effectively to serve those who are connected to it. ”