Monday, July 03, 2006
Truth Hurts: Part II
The following article really stirred up a bru-ha-ha on blogs!
How to Shop for Kids the Brangelina Way
Angelina's "looking at different countries" to find another child to adopt. We weigh some likely possibilities.
By Leslie Gornstein, Special to The LA Times
Less than a month after giving birth to her first biological daughter, Angelina Jolie said Tuesday that she plans to adopt another child. The Oscar-winning actress already has two adopted tykes — a boy, Maddox Chivan, from Cambodia, and a girl, Zahara Marley, from Ethiopia. Jolie also has her hands full with new baby Shiloh Nouvel. (We hear Shiloh's father is an actor.)
"We're looking at different countries," Jolie told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And it's gonna be the balance of what would be the best for Mad and for Z right now. Another boy, another girl, which country, which race would fit best with the kids."
This country is like a machine — an adorable, adoptable-children machine. More than 7,900 rugrats adopted last year came from China. If Jolie seeks her next child in this country, she'll most likely get a girl; only 5% of available children are boys.
Estimated total cost: $20,000 to $25,000
Upside: Babies! Squadrons and squadrons of little babies!
Downside: Only a limited number of singles may adopt. (The exception: special-needs kids.) And when Jolie isn't growing her family, she's busy denying marriage rumors. Also, Jolie would have to go through an agency approved by the Chinese; no private adoptions permitted. That could mean less discretion than the publicity-picky star might like.
Likelihood: Low. Jolie already has two girls. Add a third, and that makes for a perilously outnumbered Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt. Jolie says she wants "balance," which probably means a boy, and China isn't the most logical place to find one.
RUSSIA
This country is the second biggest supplier of adoptable moppets. More than 4,600 kids came from Russia last year.
Estimated total cost: $30,000 to $40,000
Upside: Ample pickin's. Ratio of boys to girls is 1 to 1. And if Jolie's plans for "balance" call for an older child, this is also a good country; in 2004, almost half of the children looking for parents were ages 1 to 4.
Downside: No private adoptions here either. And maybe some bad blood. In 2004, British and Russian papers buzzed that Jolie was preparing to adopt a Muscovite orphan boy named Gleb. If there was such a failed plan, then Jolie's relationship with the Russians may be as frosty as a St. Petersburg ice sculpture.
Likelihood: High. Unless the Gleb tale is true. Then low.
KAZAKHSTAN
A rising contender in family-building, this Central Asian country adopted out about 750 kids last year.
Estimated total cost: $30,000
Downside: Jolie had better have time to kill. The country requires adoptive parents to visit for at least a month before it will part with a child. Kazakhstan also insists on yearly progress reports detailing an adopted child's welfare, until the kid turns 18. One other factor: Like orphans in Russia, Kazakh children under 6 months are not available for adoption.
Upside: The month-long visit can be split into two trips.
Likelihood: Low. This is Jolie. She is on a schedule, people. She has movies to make and wells to build and diseases to eradicate. That month-long stay could be a deal-breaker.
SOUTH KOREA
ADVERTISEMENT
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Lots of adopted kids come from here. It ranks No. 4 in international adoptee output, having found homes for 4,630 little ones last year.
Estimated total cost: $20,000 to $28,000
Upside: A nice place to get a very tiny infant, which seems to be Jolie's adoptee size of choice. Ninety-five percent of available South Korean children are under 1 year; Jolie could get a baby as young as four months. Plus, she could phone in her baby order from her VIP suite at the Raffles L'Hermitage in Beverly Hills; South Korea does not require aspiring parents to visit.
Downside: Only couples married for three years are eligible to adopt.
Likelihood: Low. Brad doesn't appear to be getting down on one knee anytime soon.
UKRAINE
A dark-horse contender. About 820 international adoptions sprang from this country last year.
Estimated total cost: $30,000
Upside: Ukraine has announced plans to open a brand-new adoption authority this month. That could mean a pileup of kids who have been waiting for new mommies. And Jolie certainly will appreciate the variety?
Downside: A kid needs to be available for a year before she can snatch one, unless the child is ill.
Likelihood: A toss-up.
SOURCES: Children's Hope International, U.S. Department of State, Adoptive Families magazine.
----------
Bloggers said:
L.A. Times trivializes adoption
"Oh, it was supposed to be funny, you know. Let's make fun of celebrities! Let's all have a good laugh! But the tongue-in-cheek piece about the possible countries Angelina Jolie's next tot will likely hail from has adult adoptees and adoptive parents fuming---with good reason. The flip comments, the equating of adoption with picking out a new pair of shoes... this is supposed to be journalism??"
Others said: "It's pretty bad. I'm horrified that a newspaper would publish something like this....people wil be ignorant."
From the source: "Adoptive Families offers information and resources to help parents adopt and support them as they raise their children, and we deplore the fact that our content was used as a "source" for this shabby piece of journalism."
Another said: "A "lighthearted look?" Really? Is that some sort of metaphor for "bigoted, ignorant and obnoxious?"
MY REPLY to y'all: If the shoe fits a bit too damn too tight - go barefoot!!!
Notice that those who were offended, shouted foul play and called it "mean", but could refute the facts. And the truth of the matter is that in their homes at night with their spouses, or over coffee with other adoptive mothers and those hoping to adopt, they all discuss the exact same pros and cons! They just did not like exposing the ugly truth of what adoption has become. They much prefer to keep it shrouded behind a curtain of "altruism" while allowing the children who need homes to remain insitutionlized or in foster care as they "shop" for those that fit them best!
The truth is that most go overseas to avoid contact with birthmothers or the fear of them returning.
The truth is that one by one foreign nations - like Romania - are closing the doors to the exploitation of exporting their chidlren.
The truth is that many children we like to think of being "rescued" from foreign lands are stolen and sold on the black market.
And the ugliest truth of all is that twelve babies adopted from Russia by Americans has been killed by their adopters!
How to Shop for Kids the Brangelina Way
Angelina's "looking at different countries" to find another child to adopt. We weigh some likely possibilities.
By Leslie Gornstein, Special to The LA Times
Less than a month after giving birth to her first biological daughter, Angelina Jolie said Tuesday that she plans to adopt another child. The Oscar-winning actress already has two adopted tykes — a boy, Maddox Chivan, from Cambodia, and a girl, Zahara Marley, from Ethiopia. Jolie also has her hands full with new baby Shiloh Nouvel. (We hear Shiloh's father is an actor.)
"We're looking at different countries," Jolie told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And it's gonna be the balance of what would be the best for Mad and for Z right now. Another boy, another girl, which country, which race would fit best with the kids."
This country is like a machine — an adorable, adoptable-children machine. More than 7,900 rugrats adopted last year came from China. If Jolie seeks her next child in this country, she'll most likely get a girl; only 5% of available children are boys.
Estimated total cost: $20,000 to $25,000
Upside: Babies! Squadrons and squadrons of little babies!
Downside: Only a limited number of singles may adopt. (The exception: special-needs kids.) And when Jolie isn't growing her family, she's busy denying marriage rumors. Also, Jolie would have to go through an agency approved by the Chinese; no private adoptions permitted. That could mean less discretion than the publicity-picky star might like.
Likelihood: Low. Jolie already has two girls. Add a third, and that makes for a perilously outnumbered Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt. Jolie says she wants "balance," which probably means a boy, and China isn't the most logical place to find one.
RUSSIA
This country is the second biggest supplier of adoptable moppets. More than 4,600 kids came from Russia last year.
Estimated total cost: $30,000 to $40,000
Upside: Ample pickin's. Ratio of boys to girls is 1 to 1. And if Jolie's plans for "balance" call for an older child, this is also a good country; in 2004, almost half of the children looking for parents were ages 1 to 4.
Downside: No private adoptions here either. And maybe some bad blood. In 2004, British and Russian papers buzzed that Jolie was preparing to adopt a Muscovite orphan boy named Gleb. If there was such a failed plan, then Jolie's relationship with the Russians may be as frosty as a St. Petersburg ice sculpture.
Likelihood: High. Unless the Gleb tale is true. Then low.
KAZAKHSTAN
A rising contender in family-building, this Central Asian country adopted out about 750 kids last year.
Estimated total cost: $30,000
Downside: Jolie had better have time to kill. The country requires adoptive parents to visit for at least a month before it will part with a child. Kazakhstan also insists on yearly progress reports detailing an adopted child's welfare, until the kid turns 18. One other factor: Like orphans in Russia, Kazakh children under 6 months are not available for adoption.
Upside: The month-long visit can be split into two trips.
Likelihood: Low. This is Jolie. She is on a schedule, people. She has movies to make and wells to build and diseases to eradicate. That month-long stay could be a deal-breaker.
SOUTH KOREA
ADVERTISEMENT
<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v6|3417|3|0|%2a|k%3B38908316%3B0-0%3B0%3B13502673%3B4307-300|250%3B17211576|17229471|1%3B%3B%7Efdr%3D38896524%3B0-0%3B0%3B12926801%3B4307-300|250%3B17236142|17254037|1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://www.moxi.com/home.htm"><IMG SRC="http://m1.2mdn.net/1257459/moxi_300x250_25k_c.gif" BORDER=0></A>
Lots of adopted kids come from here. It ranks No. 4 in international adoptee output, having found homes for 4,630 little ones last year.
Estimated total cost: $20,000 to $28,000
Upside: A nice place to get a very tiny infant, which seems to be Jolie's adoptee size of choice. Ninety-five percent of available South Korean children are under 1 year; Jolie could get a baby as young as four months. Plus, she could phone in her baby order from her VIP suite at the Raffles L'Hermitage in Beverly Hills; South Korea does not require aspiring parents to visit.
Downside: Only couples married for three years are eligible to adopt.
Likelihood: Low. Brad doesn't appear to be getting down on one knee anytime soon.
UKRAINE
A dark-horse contender. About 820 international adoptions sprang from this country last year.
Estimated total cost: $30,000
Upside: Ukraine has announced plans to open a brand-new adoption authority this month. That could mean a pileup of kids who have been waiting for new mommies. And Jolie certainly will appreciate the variety?
Downside: A kid needs to be available for a year before she can snatch one, unless the child is ill.
Likelihood: A toss-up.
SOURCES: Children's Hope International, U.S. Department of State, Adoptive Families magazine.
----------
Bloggers said:
L.A. Times trivializes adoption
"Oh, it was supposed to be funny, you know. Let's make fun of celebrities! Let's all have a good laugh! But the tongue-in-cheek piece about the possible countries Angelina Jolie's next tot will likely hail from has adult adoptees and adoptive parents fuming---with good reason. The flip comments, the equating of adoption with picking out a new pair of shoes... this is supposed to be journalism??"
Others said: "It's pretty bad. I'm horrified that a newspaper would publish something like this....people wil be ignorant."
From the source: "Adoptive Families offers information and resources to help parents adopt and support them as they raise their children, and we deplore the fact that our content was used as a "source" for this shabby piece of journalism."
Another said: "A "lighthearted look?" Really? Is that some sort of metaphor for "bigoted, ignorant and obnoxious?"
MY REPLY to y'all: If the shoe fits a bit too damn too tight - go barefoot!!!
Notice that those who were offended, shouted foul play and called it "mean", but could refute the facts. And the truth of the matter is that in their homes at night with their spouses, or over coffee with other adoptive mothers and those hoping to adopt, they all discuss the exact same pros and cons! They just did not like exposing the ugly truth of what adoption has become. They much prefer to keep it shrouded behind a curtain of "altruism" while allowing the children who need homes to remain insitutionlized or in foster care as they "shop" for those that fit them best!
The truth is that most go overseas to avoid contact with birthmothers or the fear of them returning.
The truth is that one by one foreign nations - like Romania - are closing the doors to the exploitation of exporting their chidlren.
The truth is that many children we like to think of being "rescued" from foreign lands are stolen and sold on the black market.
And the ugliest truth of all is that twelve babies adopted from Russia by Americans has been killed by their adopters!
# posted by Senior Mom @ 11:45 AM 
