It has been a growing trend in Hollywood:  celebrities deciding to adopt children from foreign countries.  You may have already known about Angelina Jolie's adopted children from Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, as well as Madonna's trip to Malawi to adopt a child.  Even politicians have adopted children from foreign countries, like John McCain who has an adopted child from Bangladesh, who is now in her teenage years.

The controversies about celebrity adoptions

Many couples have complained at how easy for these public figures to have adopted a child in a foreign country, while other families would have to wait for several years before the agencies overseas would even consider them are candidates for adoption. 

Questions about whether or not these celebrities had preferential treatment while undergoing the adoption process.  Sadly, money, connections, and recognition have worked to the celebrities' advantage, not to mention the many gifts celebrities provide to the orphanages or overseas children's welfare agencies.

The issue of race is also raised in such adoptions, for instance when Jolie chose to adopt Asian and African children over Caucasian orphans.  Critics say that interracial adoptions may make the child grow up without knowing his or her cultural heritage.

However, why should people look at these issues, without considering the welfare of those who were adopted?  They may not grow up with a couple whose race is different from them, but the truth of the matter is that the orphans would grow up in a culture other than their own simply through adoption.  Also, children of different cultures have the same needs of food, water, shelter, but most of all love and affection from a family.

It may seem unfortunate that some high-profile personalities have it easy, but what is important is that an orphan has found a new family who would love him or her for a whole lifetime.