Celebrity adoption debate

The Jolie-Pitt clan in January 09: Pax, Maddox, Brad, Knox, Angelina, Vivienne, Zahara and Shiloh ©Sipa

 Madonna sparked an international furore when she adopted son David, now 3, from impoverished Malawi back in 2006. The Queen of Pop was accused of bending adoption laws and using her fame to push her case through the courts. Now her application to adopt Chifundo ‘Mercy’ James as a sister for David has been denied…because she hasn’t lived in Malawi for 18 months, as the law requires. Has the Malawian authorities’ tough stance set a precedent for stricter control of international adoptions?

Madonna is far from being the first high-profile star to adopt from developing countries: Meg Ryan, Ewan McGregor, and, of course, Angelina Jolie have all become parents to youngsters of African and Asian birth. Rarely a day goes by without rumours of another celebrity expressing their desire to adopt a child from developing countries. Angelina Jolie is said to be planning to adopt an Indian child to add to her famous rainbow family, which includes children from Cambodia, Vietnam and Ethiopia plus three biological children. Katherine Heigl recently lodged an application to adopt a Korean baby, according to reports. Stars from Britney Spears to Michael Jackson have also expressed a desire for international adoptions. Adopting a child from a different race is à la mode…but it’s also controversial.  

Many celebrities who adopt are often also heavily involved in humanitarian work: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie created the Jolie-Pitt Foundation in Cambodia (where eldest son Maddox was born), and have donated over 4 million dollars to charitable causes. Madonna started a children’s charity, Raising Malawi, and has produced a documentary highlighting the plight of Malawi’s orphans. While we can only applaud these efforts to make a difference to children's lives, many stars do contribute to humanitarian causes without going as far as adopting a child. Many human rights organisations insist that the best way of giving such children a better life is to support their local communities.