Overview

Adoption has been practiced by many cultures and religions throughout human history.  Adoption in colonial America was treated as a transfer of property and was mostly informal rather than legal.  For instance, in the late 1800s and early 1900s approximately 150,000 orphans from the urban northeastern United States were taken by train throughout the Midwest and West.  Essentially, the idea was that placing poor, immigrant children into more “worthy” farming families would not only help to reduce poverty, but would also help to supply farming communities with the hands needed to be productive.  Children on these “orphan trains” were “put up for adoption” by being placed on railroad platforms for prospective parents to view and choose which child or children they would like “to adopt”.  Generally, there was very little oversight to ensure that these placements were appropriate.

Also during this same time period, American Indian children were systematically removed from their families generally without cause and adopted into non-Indian families.  Many other children were also removed from their families based only on poverty or other non-neglect or abuse criteria and adopted.

Adoption as a legal process began in the mid-19th century.  In 1851, the state of Massachusetts enacted the first state statute concerning adoption.  Modern practices, however, were slow to develop with many children impacted by practices that would be considered inhumane today.

In the documentary, you saw examples of how adoption has changed over the last several decades.  The ways that adoptive families and infants are brought together have changed in the following ways:

▶       Birthparents are more involved in decision making

▶       “Rating” the baby to determine current and future health no longer occurs

▶       Infants are not placed with families with the intention of matching genetic characteristics that would help “disguise” that the infant was adopted

Technology has also impacted adoption practice around the selection of an adoptive family, as many expectant parents use the internet to find adoptive families.

Changes have also included: more openness and less secrecy, children other than infants are being adopted, greater involvement of birth fathers and more single parents and same-sex couples are adopting. Technology also plays a role in the way that members of the adoption triad search for one another.

Trans-racial adoptions have also changed over time.  Trans-racial adoption began in the 1950s with inter-country adoption of Asian children and with a federal initiative to place Native American children into the cities.  By the 1960s and 70s, more children of color were being placed in white families.

Significant federal legislation, called the Indian Child Welfare Act, or ICWA, was passed recognizing the sovereign rights of Indian tribes to plan for Native American children.  The Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994 prohibits denying or delaying individuals the right to foster and/or adopt a child on the basis of race.  This federal legislation also prohibits delaying a child’s adoption on the basis of race of the child or the foster/adoptive parent.

There has been an increased focus on recruitment of families of color for children waiting for adoption.  Despite the increase of minority families fostering and adopting, there are a disproportionate number of children of color growing up in foster care.

It is important to note that the historical perspective that is explored in the video was that of the dominant culture. Other cultures experienced adoption differently. Many cultures traditionally did not engage in legal adoptions; but did informal adoptions, e.g. placed children with related or non-related caregivers without legal paperwork.  Some cultures where informal adoption has long been the practice may not be aware of financial and other benefits that may be available through legal adoption.