*the following is from the Bethany Christian Services website...we're changing our vocab to accurately reflect the love and respect we have for the adoption process...will you join us?
The words we use reveal as much about us and our values as they do about the situations that we are trying to describe. Our views, experiences, biases, and assumptions are intrinsically woven into the words we use to communicate every day.
The language of adoption is full of expressions we have “always heard” and all too often use. These expressions shape the perceptions of both the people who use them and the people who hear them. They convey our values and biases, and they can encourage or interfere with communication.
...The simple choice of words can reveal our views and communicate a great deal to a listener.
| Rather than... Real parent(s) Natural parent(s) Unwed mother Real child Illegitimate child Put up for adoption Give up for adoption Is adopted Keep a child Hard to place child Unwanted pregnancy Find parents Foreign adoption Adoptee | We suggest... Birthparent(s), Birthmother, Birthfather Biological parent(s) Single parent Birthchild Child of unmarried parents Make an adoption plan Choose adoption Was adopted Parent a child Child with special placement needs Unplanned, unintended, or untimely pregnancy Search for birthparents Intercountry adoption Someone who was adopted |
Comments
Happy 2011! :)