When Stars Adopt

Feb. 3, 2007 — -- At first, it seemed like the best possible PR for a worthy cause. Two of the most famous female performers in the world -- first Angelina Jolie, then Madonna -- chose to adopt children from third-world countries. When Jolie adopted her second child, Zahara, from Ethiopia, the number of adoptions from that country rose dramatically, from 441 in 2005 to 732 in 2006.

But then came the negative attention: Accusations that Madonna had used her star power to circumvent an African nation's adoption rules. The printing of supposedly critical comments about Madonna made by Jolie. And the sentencing of a Washington state woman for fraudulently arranging Cambodian adoptions -- which would not have gained much attention, had Jolie not been one of her former clients.

The latest contretemps stems from seemingly critical comments made by Jolie about Madonna's choice to adopt from Malawi.

"It's a country where there is no real legal framework for adoption. Personally, I prefer to stay on the right side of the law," said Jolie in a recent edition of the French magazine Gala.

Jolie claims the publication took her words out of context, and that she said many positive things that were not included.

"I feel we must encourage everyone to be supportive so that every child can adjust nicely to their new home," the actress said in a statement.

Still, the damage had been done, and international tabloids eager to cover a celebrity catfight trumped up the supposed slight by one adoptive parent to another.

Adoption advocates worry that high-profile controversies like this might make some Americans wary about adopting.

"People who notice celebrities making international adoptions might think, 'This is a good thing, something I should look at, too.' But the other side is that if there is controversy about adoption, they might think, 'I don't want to be involved in something controversial; maybe I won't adopt,'" said Dave Ptasnik, director of Americans Adopting Orphans, an agency that specializes in adoptions from China and Ukraine.