Honor Blackman dies- news reader refers to her “two adopted children”

[LittleRa]

Not sure if this is the correct section but Bond actress Honor Blackman has died of natural causes aged 94. I happened to be reading the family’s statement online at the same time as the BBC news reader was reading it and I noticed the statement said she “will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby and Lottie” whereas the news reader said she “will be greatly missed by her two adopted children Barnaby and Lottie”. Why?! A glance at her Wikipedia entry shows she adopted them in 1967 and 1968.

And again with the problematic language.... But again, it is not problematic for everyone, sirchable. My adoptive parents used the term "natural parent", it was the term I grew up with. What I personally find problematic is "positive adoption language" which is basically what you and many other adopters on here are referring to - problematic because it was invented by social workers in the 1970s to make adopters feel better about their situation - it is not to do with research or a reasonably extrapolation from research, and there is very little consensus about it in the wider adoption community, as what offends one adopter might not offend another adoptee and vice versa and so on. Adoptees will use language either they were taught or which they feel comfortable with as a result of their own specific experiences. Every adoption is different. Really the whole thing needs to be overhauled and looked at again in the context of what we know today, I think.

An adoptive parent saying to their adopted child that they are not "their own" will be damaging - yes - but to suggest that it will be damaging in all the other circumstances, whoever says it and to whom, is wrong thinking. As is the idea that using positive adoption language will help adoptees with identity issues.

*reasonable extrapolation

What I personally find problematic is "positive adoption language" which is basically what you and many other adopters on here are referring to

What I’m referring to is using factual language, neither positive or negative.

I suspect most people who don’t have a problem with ‘natural’ parent, also wouldn’t have a problem with ‘birth parent’. The reverse cannot be said.