Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994

Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994 was passed into law to prohibit consideration of a prospective parent's race, color, or national origin to delay or deny the child's placement for adoption. The Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994 was intended to facilitate and expedite the number of racially and ethnically diverse foster and adoptive parents.

Although the passage of the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994 act followed what some call a "contentious debate about transracial adoption and same-race placement policies," the goal of the act was to help more children have a permanent, safe, and stable home." Of the greatest concerns was the fact that African American and other minority children are overrepresented in the system and limiting their adoption to only African-American families would put them at risk of never finding a home.

Critics of the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act argue that it could erode the preservation of families, especially those of African ancestry. These same critics argue it is important to find "culturally grounded options for children of African ancestry before giving consideration to placing our children outside of the community." They also note that legislation for Indians through the Indian Child Welfare Act has emphasized the importance of keeping Native American children within their tribe or the Native American community, and they believe the same considerations should be made for African American children.