encyclopedia of adoption

"adoptee" v. "adopted person"

"Adoptee" is now generally considered to be the less acceptable substitute label for the words "adopted person," "adopted adult," "adopted child" or "adopted teenager." (In many cases, the word "adopted" is an unnecessary descriptive adjunct, as in a newspaper article describing a public figure and his two daughters and "adopted son.")

for California

The word "adoptee" is considered negative by many adoption professionals because it defines a person's entire existence around the issue of adoption, which is only one among many factors affecting an individual. It may also create the impression of a great degree of differentiation between "adoptees" and "nonadoptees," even though an adopted person is the lawful child of adoptive parents with the same rights and privileges as any child born to them. (See also ATTITUDES ABOUT ADOPTION; TERMINOLOGY.)

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