Academic, Religious, and Other Specialized Terms
disruption (adoption): adoption professionals often use this term to refer to intended adoptions that fall through before they are finalized. (see also AdoptiveFamilies.com and my discussion in “Terminology: Politics and Practice” in Reproductive Losses)
intersectionality: a framework for understanding the interconnected nature of social categories such as race, class, and gender; attentive to how privilege and oppression (such as racism, homophobia, sexism, and classism) interlock or intersect, especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.
Mourner’s Kaddish: a Jewish prayer recited in memory of the deceased, typically in the presence of a minyan. (see also Shiva.com)
shiva: a period of mourning following a death when family members stay at home and receive guests to offer them comfort and participate in religious services. (see also jewfaq.org and Shiva.com)
minyan: In Jewish tradition, a quorum of ten Jewish adults necessary to recite certain prayers. The term has traditionally been defined as a quorum of ten Jewish males over age thirteen, however, Jewish women challenged this custom and, in many congregations, women are now counted in the minyan. (see also jewfaq.org and Shiva.com)
non-biological parent: a parent who did not experience a physical pregnancy; see also “social” parent or non-gestational parent.
non-gestational parent: “non-gestational” refers to a parent who did not experience a physical pregnancy; see also “social” parent and non-biological parent.
rainbow babies: children conceived after miscarriage or stillbirth. Jennifer Kulp-Makarov, M.D., FACOG, explains the meaning of the term as “it is like a rainbow after a storm: something beautiful after something scary and dark.” (see also https://www.parents.com/baby/what-it-means-to-be-a-rainbow-baby-and-why-rainbow-babies-are-beautiful/) For LGBTQ parents, this term often took on additional meaning, since the rainbow is a common symbol of LGBTQ+* Pride with the spectrum of colors reflecting the diversity of the queer community. (see also https://www.britannica.com/story/how-did-the-rainbow-flag-become-a-symbol-of-lgbt-pride)
“social” parent: the most common term participants used for a parent who did not experience a physical pregnancy; see also non-biological parent or non-gestational parent, and my discussion of the challenges of these labels in “Terminology: Politics & Practice.”
praxis: action of putting theory into practice; informed, committed action.