Every time I glance through an Us Weekly in line at the supermarket (or - let's face it - an Us Weekly I made a special trip out to buy), it seems that Angelina Jolie is adopting another child from a foreign country.  In 2002, she adopted Maddox from Cambodia; in 2005, she adopted Zahara from Ethiopia; and in 2007, she adopted Pax Thien, a three-year-old boy from Vietnam. 

Madonna is also on the foreign adoption train.  In October of 2006, she filed papers for the adoption of Malawian baby boy, David Banda.  Public controversy arose out of Madonna's adoption of David Banda, as there was some question over whether Malawian law requires one year of residence for adoptive parents.  Also, it was reported that the birth father did not understand the meaning of "adoption" and did not realize that he was giving up his son.  At this point, Madonna and her husband, Guy Ritchie, are the boy's foster parents.

There have been rumors that Mariah Carey is considering adopting a child from Mexico, and Cameron Diaz has said that she wants to follow in Angelina Jolie's footsteps.  Of course, back in he 1970s, Mia Farrow adopted ten children from developing nations.

Much fuss has been made in the media about these celebrity foreign adoptions.  Though celebrities can certainly afford to provide children with a life away from poverty, their celebrity also ensures a childhood in the public eye and perhaps more time spent with nannies than parents.  Are these adoptions a vanity move? Are celebrities inspiring a trend of other Americans adopting from foreign countries (while there are certainly many children in the U.S.  who could use loving homes)?  This seems doubtful to me; many Americans have been adopting from foreign countries for years because looking outside of the US expedites the adoption process a great deal. 

Personally, I tend to believe that Madonna and Angelina Jolie are not adopting with the same whim that they would buy a purse.  As any adoptive parent - or friend of an adoptive parent - knows, cross-cultural adoption is a multi-faceted issue that is rarely simple whether the parent is a celebrity or not.  While these ladies have certainly received their share of criticism, I like to give them the benefit of the doubt.  They will give these children loving homes and opportunities that they would not have had otherwise and at the end of the day, isn't that all that counts?