Are Abortion's Fair By Anna Quarmby

Work Cited Entry:
Quarmby, Katharine. "Transracial Adoptions Should Not Be Discouraged." Are Adoption Policies Fair?Ed. Amanda Hiber. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Rpt. from "We Don't Mind What Colour the Baby Is Said My Father-to-Be." New Statesman (18 July 2005). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Parenthetical Citation: (Quarmby)
Brief Critique:
According to Katherine Quarmby, the controversy over interracial adoptoin has been a popular topic since the 1960s. She believes the positive effects of being raised by a loving and caring family outweigh the negative effects of being raised by a family of a different race. The black activists however described transracial as “stealing children” and “cultural genocide”.

Quarmby is an interracial adoptee who was adopted at four months old. Her parents did not care about the color of the baby and were blessed to be able to adopt a child to call their own. She was bullied for being different and suffered by attending an almost completely whit school. She grew up without any Iranian friends or knowledge of her heritage, but she still believes it is more important for a child to grow up with a family that loves them than a family of the same race. Quarmby feels children should be placed in a family of their own race if it is possible, but she does not think they should have to wait forever. If a family of their race is not available she believes it is in the child’s best interest to be placed into a loving home. Even though she was not able to experience her Persian heritage she was able to experience another culture and grow up in a stable and loving environment. She believes in the end loving the child is enough.
Quarmby had a solid and logical argument.

She was able to put in her own personal anecdote to support her claim. Her thesis was a loving and supporting family can be enough for a child looking for adoption, and race should not be a factor. She supported this thesis by including short examples from her childhood, and how it is possible for a child to be raised by parents of a different race. She also addressed the counter argument that white parents cannot take care of children of another race because they are not that race. She said it is difficult, but it is very much possible.
Paraphrase:
Quarmby is worried by those people opposing transracial adoption and trying to put too much importance on finding the right match for a child. Many groups such as the Association of Black Social Workers have been pleading their case. They believe, “transracial placements are a way of perpetuating racist ideology.” They continued to suggest white parents could not properly care for the hair and skin of African American children. The ABSW also said black children would not be able to walk down the street with their family without having to explain. These activist used the slogan, “love is not enough”, and it is still a common argument today. However, Quarmby believes it is essential for children to grow up in a loving home, even if they are of a different race.
Quotation:
“I believe transracial and transcultural adoption can work. In the end, love is

enough.”