While browsing the web looking for adoption related stories, I came across one blog with a point of view I couldn't resist passing on to my readers here. The blogger of Hollywood Trends Examiner feels sad that only a few celebrities are choosing to adopt, speaking more recently about the domestic adoption of Mariska Hargitay. The blogger explained that in her opinion, the recent "celebrity baby boom" is not a good thing as celebrities with resources really should consider adoption over getting pregnant.

I'm sorry, but the whole blog really irked me. I'm not sure when I became irritated, maybe it was the bit about only a few celebrities in the past few years have given "unwanted children a better life." It could have been when she actually dinged a celebrity for giving birth, "Even Angelina Jolie couldn't resist having some of her own kids to add to her adopted brood...." Pssst....the adopted ones are her own too.

So, are we encouraging celebrities to adopt, just because, well, they have money? What am I missing?
Some celebrities have been slammed for choosing adoption. Now some are getting criticized for adopting.

I don't think it's right to judge any family for how they choose to become a family.

What do you think? Click "comments" below and share.

Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: SVU just recently became an adoptive mother with the addition of American born, Amaya Josephine. Bi-racial Amaya was born about two weeks ago. 47-year-old Hargitay told PEOPLE Magazine that she and her husband considered both international adoption as well as domestic adoption, but are very happy to have Amaya join their family through domestic adoption.

Hargitay and her husband, Peter Hermann, are also the parents of 4½-year-old son, August.

SOURCE:
Mariska Hargitay Adopts a Baby

Suggested Reading:

• Considering Interracial Adoption
• Before You Decide Adopting a Child Is for You
• Comparing the Pros and Cons of Domestic and International Adoption

According to the Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti, Russia may be ready to sign an adoption agreement with the United States next month. The agreement is to help ensure the safety of Russian children adopted into U.S. families. Russian adoptions were drastically slowed last April when a Tennessee adoptive mother put her 7-year-old Russian child back on a plan to Russia, with a note pinned to him saying that he was "psychotic." While it's deeply disturbing to consider what happened to that child, things could have been worse, 17 Russian children have been murdered due to child abuse and neglect by their U.S. parents over the past 15 years. The hope is that the agreement will put into place more check points with the adoptive family, including more follow-up visits with a social worker as well as more pre-adoptive trainings.

SOURCE:
Russia-U.S. adoption treaty to be signed in May

It was announced March 15, 2011, by the China Center for Children Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA), (formerly the China Center of Adoption Affairs), that single women may adopt from China. Single women will be allowed to adopt what the CCCWA calls 'Special Focus' children.

Special Focus children have special needs, are pre-school or school age and have been on a waiting list for more than 60 days. Special Focus may also mean that a child does not have a special need, but is older and has been on the waiting list for more than 60 days.

Interested single women must be at least 30-years-old and must be younger than 55 when they submit their dossier.

China is a party to the Hague Convention.

Another interesting story about the care of China's orphans

There are currently 712,000 orphans in China, living in orphanages or with relatives. A database has been developed in China to help keep track of the money and care of these orphans, (those under the age of 18). The goal for the database, which the CCCWA will run, is to help distribute monthly government subsidies and monitor welfare services, 1,000 yuan ($153) for every child in an orphanage and 600 yuan for those who either live with relatives or are not in an orphanage.

Sources:
China Adoption: Waiting Children Program
China re-opens adoptions to single women
New database will help improve orphan care