Elizabeth Bartholet

Elizabeth Bartholet is a law professor at the Harvard Law School and has written numerous books addressing adoption, reproductive technology, and parenting. In the following viewpoint excerpted from her book Nobody’s Children: Abuse and Neglect, Foster Drift, and the Adoption Alternative, she responds to the belief that adoption irreparably disrupts children’s lives. She claims that adoption is the best alternative for troubled children who cannot return to their homes. Attempting to preserve biological families that are unstable, according to Bartholet, is harmful because it returns children to abusive homes and entraps them in the foster care system. Therefore, she contends that placing them in caring families should be prioritized over sustaining their biological ties.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How does the author support her view that placing children into adoptive families is...