Tag Archives: adoption in the media

Adoption in the News this Week: from ER to Madonna to the Hague

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Adoption has certainly been in the media this week. As my fellow blogger Michelle has noted in the popular culture blog, Madonna’s petition to adopt a second child from Malawi was denied by a judge in Malawian court. Madonna, who has said she plans to appeal, left the country Sunday without three-year-old Chifundo “Mercy” James, the child she had planned to make her daughter. The judge said she fears that waiving the country’s residency requirements for adoptive parents would open the door to traffickers. Other possible reasons for the different outcome in this case from Madonna’s previous adoption are being … Continue reading →

Adoption Storyline on “ER”

Once a regular watcher of the NBC drama ER, I’ve gradually cut off almost all television watching. But I may have a reason to start watching ER again—purely for professional reasons, of course. No, I’m not going to medical school. ER is in the middle of an adoption storyline. This season’s new Chief of Emergency Medicine (played by Angela Bassett) and her husband Russell (played by Courtney Vance) have decided to take a chance on loving a child again after the devastating loss of their five-year-old son to a fast-killing leukemia, which we see in flashbacks. Banfield, 40 at the … Continue reading →

Adoption in TV’s Little House on the Prairie, Season Two

My last blogs have talked about adoption storylines in the Little House on the Prairie book series and television series. This blog and the next will mention specific episodes containing adoption-related issues, so that parents can be aware of them and be prepared to discuss them with their children. In the second season, the two-part episode “Remember Me” is about a dying widow who is trying to find a new family for her children to join after her death. The children are stood at the front of the church while the widow simply explains her situation and that people should … Continue reading →

“Brangelina” Article Backlash

An article titled “How to Shop for Children the Bradgelina Way”, printed in the LA Times last week caused an uproar in the adoption community. The newspaper received dozens of angry emails and as a result they wrote a follow-up article titled “Brangelina Article Sparks Outcry”. The majority of the article as made up of letters from upset members of the adoption triad. Here are some excerpts from these letters: •“This article is just pure ignorance and I honestly feel your paper should print an apology for being so demeaning, degrading of children and adoption. Please, we have enough to … Continue reading →

Adoption the “Brangelina” Way?

A recent article in the LA Times sparked outrage in the adoption community. The article was titled “How to Shop for Kids the Brangelina Way”. The article was written in a flippant manner that most adoptive parents found to be rude and disrespectful. Here are some of the offensive comments that were made in the article: •Referring to China as “an adoption machine” •Saying that Russia is “the next biggest supplier of adoptable moppets” •When talking about the fact that South Korea does not require the parents to travel to get their child, the writer said “(Angelina) could phone in … Continue reading →

Celebrity Adoption – Helping or Hurting the Adoption Community?

Over the last few years, the idea of celebrities adopting has really taken off. Angelina Jolie has adopted two children from Cambodia and Ethiopia. Meg Ryan just brought home a little girl from China. There are whispers that Jessica Simpson will adopt a child from Mexico. There is a lot of debate in the adoption community about whether these celebrity adoptions are a positive or negative development. Everyone has their own opinion and each argument seems to have its’ merit. So, do celebrity adoptions really hurt the adoption community? We are a nation obsessed by celebrities. People strive to be … Continue reading →