Parents should be able to adopt children regardless of the race of the parents or of the child. There may need to be some additional training for interracial adoptions but I think that any sort of adoption is good. Placing children in an environment where they are wanted and can be provided for is always preferable to placing them in an environment where they may not be wanted or taken care of.

Race is unimportant, its the culture you have to determine what you want them to identify with.

Adoption knows no racial boundaries. The most important thing to the development of a child is unconditional love. Race should be a factor when placing a child, but it is by no means the most prominent one. All adoptive parents are put in the unique and special position of accepting their children. If they want to love and care for a child, no matter what their race, then they are qualified to be that child's parents. I am the mother of three, and I can honestly say that I could easily love a child of another race and make her my very own.

I wasn’t quite sure where to place my point but I think that it is wrong to say that we live in a color blind world. Adoption is a beautiful thing, it provides a child a home to receive love, support, care, encouragement, and the basic essentials a child needs in order to become a productive member of society. There are too many children in our world that need a good home and a place of love and support. So for that I say, regardless of race children should be adopted by whom ever. Yet in that I also say to the parents that adopt a child of a different race or cultural background to be well aware of that child’s cultural background or race and encourage the child to want to learn of their own race as well. We live in a world where people notice differences and point out those differences and children, with their encounters with others are faced with people pointing out their differences whether it be negatively or positively. A parent should be prepared and willing to answer any and all questions that may be culturally or racially sensitive to the child. It is my humble belief that love is the cure to all things and has the power to heal, this must be taught in our homes and to our children, when we learn to embrace one another's differences, questions such as this debate question will eventually disappear!

My first reaction to this question is that any sort of adoption that provides orphaned children and capable would-be parents with a steady, safe environment is good. I was going to begin discussing the number of children globally who are in need, but I have a real problem with the foster care system in the states and will limit my examples to the US.

The simple fact is that there are too many children in America who are without homes and a stable environment in which to progress. From the Orphan Foundation of America: "Each year 25,000 young people "age out" of the foster care system", meaning that kids reach 18 and are then thrust out into the world to make a place for themselves. These children, after being put through an entangled mess of foster homes, most loving but unstable, the child is forced to become completely self-reliant and acts without familial historicity and guidance.

Of course this is not all cases I'm sure, but a good portion. If there are children, regardless of color or the cultural implications our society chooses to mark them with, adoptive parents shouldn't be deterred. Leaving a children with darker pigment behind in a home for another whose skin is a shade lighter is a ridiculous way to choose who gets to have a family.

I feel if you truly love the child color should not be an obstacle. I have a bi-racial son & i love him dearly.

The benefits of cross-racial adoption - a caring family, increasing racial acceptance - outweigh any drawbacks, such as "identity confusion."

However, if cross-racial means Somalian orphans, I think the parents would definitely need training.

What a ridiculous argument. Children are color blind anyway, unless we adults instill that bias in them.

First, race, as I understand it, is determined by the amount of melatonin (sp?) in our skin. Melatonin is a product of environment. So where's the argument?

Is it okay for a Norwegian with very little melatonin to adopt an Italian child with olive skin (or the reverse for that matter).

Is it okay for an Indian (who are classified as Caucasian) to adopt a Malaysian child (who are classified as Asian).

Please. If there are any troglodites out there who see this as something that even needs to be discussed, they need to return to their caves and hibernate. They're on the endangered species list anway (a good thing in this case).

The human being is not like other members of the animal kingdom in that he is unique and more advanced. Right within the human class are diversities that really deserve to be deeply identified and organized in order for an individual to really fit in well into the society, such is one of the challenges of adoption- helping the adopted find an enabling environment to re-integrate into the society after loosing the original plan.

A child needs to be in the midst of people that he/she loves, appreciates, and adores. It could be very difficult for a child to find succor in a family where he is the odd- one- out. This will not be the case if he is amidst people of his/ her race.

There is only 1 race - the human one.