Chicago Tribune - October 22, 2006
Kayce T. Ataiyero, Tribune staff reporter, kataiyero@tribune.com

Sure, it appears Madonna swooped in on a private jet to a country where international adoptions are illegal and used her fame and considerable fortune to secure a child. But she also founded the Raising Malawi charity to help Malawi's orphans.

The adoption, though, is what has captured the public's attention, and it raises important questions about how celebrities use their power and privilege.

To adoption advocates, the bottom line is what's in the children's best interests.

"When we see celebrities adopting today, the upside is that it is increasing awareness of the needs of children around the world," said Julie Tye, the president of The Cradle, an Evanston-based adoption agency. "Let's stop looking at the adults and start looking at the needs of the children."

But dragging the spotlight away from Madonna is no easy feat. She's the eye in a cyclone of celebrity that seems to deflect any matter of substance. And because she has spent 20 years mocking all things sacrosanct--as illustrated by her crucifying herself during her recent concert tour--it's no wonder the public has become caught up in the debate over whether the adoption is a gimmick.

Indeed, from afar, it seems as if Madonna may have jumped on actress Angelina Jolie's bandwagon by adopting a baby from Africa. Jolie adopted a son from Cambodia in 2002 and a daughter from Ethiopia in 2005.

Are African orphans, as one blogger put it, the new black?

Caroline Schaefer, deputy editor of Us Weekly magazine, said no. Madonna has long contributed to children's charities and she has made no secret of her desire to expand her family, according to Schaefer.

The commitment she has made to raising millions of dollars for an orphanage for 4,000 children in Malawi is pretty good evidence of Madonna's genuine intentions, Schaefer added.

Heather Paul, the CEO of SOS Children's Villages-USA, agrees. Paul's organization, which operates in 132 countries, provides long-term residential care for thousands of orphaned children in Malawi. Celebrities who engage in world humanitarianism encourage everyday people to think of themselves as global citizens who should do their part to help, she said.

"If you want to call it the Bono effect, so be it," she said, referring to the ripple of good deeds that can occur when a celebrity takes up a charitable cause. Among many efforts to combat disease in Africa, U2 frontman Bono has created the Product Red brand of items, the sale of which helps fund AIDS prevention.

"We don't know what [Madonna's] intentions are," Paul said. "But we know that the orphans are in need. If through their actions they give us all cause to pause to see what each of us is doing to make the world a better place, if that thinking becomes a trend, that is wonderful."

It is likely that authorities in Malawi--a country in the midst of a famine and AIDS epidemic--made an exception and allowed Madonna to adopt in the hope that the world would take notice of their people's suffering.

But Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, said celebrity attention can distort the issue at hand, in this case misrepresenting the challenges of international adoption.

Adoptive parents "go through a long process and scrape together money, and they wait in line until a child is available, and they follow the rule of the country," Pertman said. "It doesn't appear that Madonna had to go through all of that. In order to really help get homes for all the kids who need them, we need an accurate view of adoption, of its downs and big ups."

When Jolie adopted her daughter Zahara from Ethiopia last year, international adoption agencies saw an increase in interest from regular people who wanted to adopt from the country, Pertman said. And the public rallied at the call of other celebrities, such as George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey, who asked for donations of time and money to help the victims of the tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia in 2004 and of Hurricane Katrina.

The fuss over Madonna's adoption, however, might be because she chose to adopt from a country where adoption is not all that common. In 2005, the U.S. State Department issued only three visas for Malawian orphans.

There's also the matter of protests by Malawian human-rights groups challenging the adoption on the grounds that it violates the law. On Friday, a judge postponed a hearing on a lawsuit brought by the groups against the government.

Tye emphasized that it is important that celebrities follow the law like everyone else when it comes to adoptions. However, "If they are increasing awareness and more non-celebrities are thinking of doing it, isn't it a good thing?" Tye asked.

In Madonna's case, it seems that the fame she hoped would spotlight Malawian children's plight has only obscured it. And as the debate rages on about whether her adoption was altruistic or opportunistic, it seems less and less likely that the world's attention will come around.

When the public tires of Madonna's latest exploit and the media moves on to something else, little will have changed for Malawi and the million orphans she left behind.
061022
CT061008

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2006. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .