Update: Mary-Louise Parker welcomes second child — a daughter, Ash, adopted from Africa

Update: In Touch and Australian magazine NW are reporting that the baby girl’s name is Ash. This is apparently a shortened version of her birth name, which is currently unknown.

Originally posted September 17th: Reps for actress Mary-Louise Parker, 43, confirmed this evening that she has adopted a baby girl from Africa. No further details were released.

The new baby joins William Atticus, 3 1/2, Mary-Louise’s son with her ex, actor Billy Crudup. Mary-Louise had made her adoption plans known back in July.

Source: People

Thanks to CBB readers Jody, Rosie, Sarah, Cassie, Steph and Elizabeth.

Comments

Good for her, but why Africa? There are so many kids here that needs home. I hope kids from Africa does not turn into the new black. Oh well, at least a child that needed a home, got one.

- J-Lin on September 17th, 2007

That’s awesome!! Congrats to her.

- Nausicaa on September 17th, 2007

Oh, wow, congratulations to her! I love her on Weeds. Best to them.

- Meg on September 17th, 2007

We saw her last evening on TV and she didn’t say anything, do you know when the baby arrived?

Can’t wait to hear the name of the little girl.

- Stéph on September 17th, 2007

Did she and Jeffrey Dean Morgan break up?! Darn. I loved them together.

Anyways, congrats to Mary-Louise!

Sarah’s note: Yes, they did.

- CandiceC on September 17th, 2007

wow how exciting for Mary-Louise and big brother William! I am so happy for them! Can’t wait to meet their new addition!

- Megan on September 17th, 2007

I was just going to ask if her and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are still together and both planned to adopt her eventually like what Brad and Angie did with Z. Well Congrats to her!!! I know this is not baby news but Sarah, how did u find out they broke up???

Sarah’s note: He was talking about it on People.com last month.

- esmeralda on September 17th, 2007

Congrats to her! She’s in that Jesse James movie with Brad Pitt, and that was around the time Zahara was adopted. I wonder if Brad and Mary-Louise talked about adoption on the sets.

- Anna on September 17th, 2007

That is great news! As a mom to a biological son and an adopted daughter from China, I love to hear when celebrities adopt – especially from third world countries. Best of luck to Mary-Louise, her son, and her new daughter. Can’t wait to see pictures and hear of a name!

- Allison on September 17th, 2007

Congrats to her! I wonder if we’ll have get to see her and hear the name. I know she’s very private and I’ve rarely ever even seen pictures of her son.

- Heather on September 17th, 2007

J-Lin, I’m surprised that no one has called you out on your terrible comment – but I’m happy to do it first. “I hope kids from Africa does not turn into the new black.” I understand that you are referring to the “new black” as the new trend, but frankly, I think your choice of words is poorly thought out, on top of the fact that is utterly offensive and completely unfounded.

If everyone were as generous as Mary Louise (and all the other people that adopt from Africa), then perhaps millions of children wouldn’t die each year from famine and disease. Yes, there are plenty of children in this country that need homes, but does that discount the fact that African children need homes too? NO. It doesn’t.

Any child is a child worth loving, no matter the country of origin or the color of their skin. “Why Africa,” you say? Well, the same could be asked every time someone adopts from any country or chooses to have biological children, its a choice that should be commended, not questioned. We should see humanity as it exists in all people, not borders or limitations.

I have never resorted to chastising anyone like this on this website before, but frankly, I think you should be ashamed of your comment.

If you didn’t mean it to be so offensive, then I suggest you consider the words and intentions of your statements before you broadcast opinions like that.

Frankly, I would hope that international adoption rates become a trend, goodness knows there is never a shortage of children that need good homes and loving hearts that are willing to take them.

Sarah’s note: The previous posters did not see the comment because we were still deciding whether or not to publish it. Thanks for your well-thought out response.

- syd on September 17th, 2007

Congrats to her! I hope we do get to know her name eventually.

- Colleen on September 17th, 2007

Nicely said, Syd.

Congratulations to MLP, no doubt that her daughter will be one well loved little girl!

- ally on September 17th, 2007

Syd, Well said!!

- Isabel on September 17th, 2007

Well said, Syd. You echo my own sentiments.

- Merideth on September 17th, 2007

Well put, Syd!!

- wavybrains on September 17th, 2007

Thank you Syd.

Congratulations Mary-Louise and William! How exciting!

- brannon on September 17th, 2007

I’m so happy to hear about someone else adopting a child. Even if it’s a “trend”, I hope it is one that continues to increase. There are so many kids out there that need good, loving homes.

- Charity on September 17th, 2007

i noticed the comment just then. i don’t think j-lin meant to be offensive. all they meant i think was the trend of celebs adopting from africa.congrats to mary-louise anyways.funny how different it is when a private celeb does something and when a very public one does the same thing. most gossip blogs would be fighting each other off to post if brad & angelina were having or adopting another kid but someone less well-known, cbb’s 1 of the few sites that gives net time to all celebs everywhere, not just the most-talked about tabloid ones.it’s nice.

- ang on September 17th, 2007

Well said, Syd…

Congrats! MLP

- Z on September 17th, 2007

God, that woman is just utterly and completely gorgeous!
Congrats to her and her family!

- Jada on September 17th, 2007

Yay! I support international adoption…well actually I support any adoption. I know some people fuss about celebs needing to adopt American kids but the adoption process in the U.S. needs work asap.Also since countries such a Africa where a good portion of the country are poor ,there aren’t loads of people from that country that can afford or even desire to adopt those poor children.

- Renee on September 17th, 2007

First of all, I am black, and the comment was specifying the trend of everyone wanting to adopt a child in Africa, so get over. Second, most of you have never set foot in Africa, so the assumption that the country is full of hungry, homeless kids in loin cloths looking for a savior is a horrible misconception. There are places in Africa that you could easily mistake for Manhattan or any suburb in America just as there are places in the US that look like a third world country (have we forgotten the Mississippi Delta post Katrina?) where children need homes just as much. Yes, the adoption process in this country needs to be reformed, but no special privileges should go to anyone just because they are rich, white, or a celebrity which is why African adoptions have become a hot new trend.

- J-Lin on September 17th, 2007

Thank you for your comment Syd!

As a person of color and half African, I was offended by the post and it takes a lot to offend me. I’m not surprised though of comments like that because most people are so unaware of their impact on others and rarely think before they speak. And since we cannot see faces on the internet, I think that people have very biased views regarding culture and race.

That being said, Kudos to Mary Louise whose work I truly admire!

A child is a child wherever they come from. Congratulations to her!

- yaosa on September 17th, 2007

Meant continent and not country.

- J-Lin on September 17th, 2007

I have to agree with J-Lin. Right away I assumed that they meant “the new black” was a term for a trend. Not that it matters, but I am a biracial woman myself and I was NOT offended, and it also takes a lot to offend me. It was a comment taken out of context, if you lighten up you can see what J-Lin meant.

It’s nice that celebs are opening their hearts to adoption, but why don’t they seem to want to adopt kids born here? America has plenty of children and babies who need homes and love as well. Are the adoption processes easier in other countries?

- J on September 17th, 2007

Take a bow, Syd.

- Principesa on September 17th, 2007

How many of those American children have those who criticize celebs adopted?
If celebs want to adopt from third world countries, kudos to them – it’s their choice.
People who don’t like this trend should do something – start adopting the children here while celebs continue with their African adoptions!

- Bliis on September 17th, 2007

I think people should feel free to adopt from wherever they choose. If you are so concerned about the children in this country, well, you know what to do.

I think I read that Mary Louise did indeed speak to Brad and Angelina about their international adoptions, but I’m not positive.

- terri on September 17th, 2007

Arent there many celebs that adopt from the US? Sheryl Crow has wyatt, and Sharon stone has 3 little boys. I don’t think it matters where a child comes from. Whether is it from your own body, or your own country or some where very far away…all children come from your heart.

congrats to Mary-Louise! I hope she shares some photos!

- Morgan on September 17th, 2007

How about we not judge where people adopt kids and just be happy that some kid who doesn’t have a home now has one regardless of where they came from? I don’t see this as trend cause celebs adopted back in the golden days of Hollywood but no one talked about it. It was something to be embarrassed about back then.

- Renee on September 17th, 2007

People keeping throwing around this word trend but besides madonna-guy and brad-angie and now mary-louise who else has adopted kids from africa. my god why can’t we just be happy that one less kid is growing up without a parent. Are we going to get offended about people choosing to vacation outside of america i mean there are alot of places here that could use the tourism too lol. Its a persons choice and i for on commend anyone who opens both their heart and home to a child whether they adopt from here are africa.

- Malya's Mommy on September 17th, 2007

and i by no means feel that taking a vacation outside of the country is equal to adopting a child from another country. just wanted to point out how absurd this conversation is getting about people choosing to adopt from africa instead of america.

- Malya's Mommy on September 17th, 2007

I wouldn’t be calling it a trend yet – I mean only two celeb families have adopted from Africa it’s not like heaps and heaps have followed on and adopted African children. Ang and Brad and Meg Ryan have adopted children from Asia as well.

- Sam on September 17th, 2007

J-Lin, you are certainly entitled to your opinion regarding this matter, and I respect that. Personally, I do not feel the need to dignify or reaffirm my opinion by mentioning my own personal background or ethnicity. I think our words and comments will convey what we truly mean.

And with that, I leave you with a statistic from the the WHO: It is estimated that 6,000 children become orphans everyday in Africa. Do the math, its over 2 million per year. To me, this is not a stereotype that I have succumbed to, its a fact and I commend anyone who is willing to save a child.

I also just want to say that I commend CBB for providing a safe forum for discussion. I say it often, and I’ll say it again: I love this website.

- syd on September 17th, 2007

J-Lin – “the trend of everyone wanting to adopt a child in Africa” Assuming we are talking celebrities, there have been 3 in the past couple of years that have been publicized – Angelina, Madonna, and now Mary Louise Parker. There have been a lot of domestic celebrity adoptions – Sheryl Crow, Sharon Stone, Calista Flockhart, Steven Spielberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Tom Cruise, Diane Keaton, etc.

As for your comment, “the assumption that the country (Africa) is full of hungry, homeless kids in loin cloths looking for a savior is a horrible misconception”, where has that been assumed here? I think the point is, there are kids in every country that are without families and homes. If someone wants to adopt a child in the U.S. – FANTASTIC! If someone wants to adopt a child from another country – THAT’S FANTASTIC, TOO! This child is getting a home and a family to love her, regardless of what country she was born in. I wish that for every child in the world, impossible as it may be.

- ally on September 17th, 2007

I forgot about Madonna adopting David! still dosn’t make that a trend in my Opinion!

- Sam on September 17th, 2007

I am surprised to see this silly discussion again where people think they can decide for OTHER people where they should adopt from. Sorry, but its not up to YOU to decide for someone else. People who adopt deserves praise, no matter where that child is from.

>>or a celebrity which is why African adoptions have become a hot new trend.

And that quote is total nonsense. Esp. abroad celebs will be bound to the same rules as non-celebs. Only private adoption within the US seems to give celebs privileges.

- Linda on September 18th, 2007

I still stand 100% behind my comments and I mean exactly what I wrote. Congrats to Mary and I’m sure a child has gotten a wonderful home. But there are just as many children in this country that need homes. Feel free to check out your local government’s child welfare site to see for yourself. I work as a mentor with many of these kids. Sorry, but I won’t change my opinion on that and I’m glad CBB has let me express that. Thank Sarah.

- J-Lin on September 18th, 2007

Incidentally, I am in Africa right now (in Cape Town, RSA to be specific) and I can assure you, J-Lin, that there are plenty of babies and children here that desperately need homes–and Cape Town is arguably the most developed city on the entire continent. I’m working at a daycare in a drug infested, predominantly black area of the city, and although these children aren’t orphans my program facilitator worked in an orphanage here last year and actually discovered one of the newborns had died in the night from being bitten over and over again by a rat. It makes me sick to think how many babies meet horrible, senseless deaths like that, especially since there are so many people who desperately would love a child.

Like several other posters have said, I don’t understand how someone can criticize another person for wanting to give a baby, ANY baby, a home. Plenty of celebrities adopt from the US–Sheryl Crow just did, Robin Givens, Michelle Pfieffer, Calista Flockhart, Sharon Stone, etc. so as difficult as the process is here it’s not as if it never happens.

Call international adoption a trend, call it what you want, but if you ask me, the tiny chance someone is adopting for the wrong reason is worth the reality that one less child is without a home, family, and often a chance for survival (like beautiful Zahara Jolie-Pitt).

- Erica on September 18th, 2007

Firstly, I LOVE MLP and am so excited she adopted a little girl, because I know she has said she wanted more children. She’s one of my favourite actress and is so classy. It makes me happy to see she has finally had that second child she longed for.

Secondly, Maybe she decided to adopt from Africa because the adoption process was shorter and less tedious than in America? Not every parent adopts to “rescue” a child – some people simply want to be a parent and don’t care where the baby comes from, just that the child is healthy, the process is legal, and they receive the baby as quickly as possible.

People sometimes forget that not every celebrity is out to save the children of the world, some just want kids! I think Meg Ryan said something similar to this when she adopted Daisy. She just wanted to be a mom again.

- PSB on September 18th, 2007

Congrats to her and her son!

- Kris on September 18th, 2007

Congratulations to Mary-Louise and her family. Adoption is a a wonderful thing, no matter where the child comes from. In response to some of the comments about international adoption becoming a “trend”, I really don’t think it is. Many more celebrities seem to adopt from their home countries than from abroad (Sharon Stone and Sheryl Crowe are just 2 recent examples I can think of).

I do remember Angelina talking recently about how she and Brad have been advising some of their friends about the adoption process – maybe it was Mary-Louise she was talking about?

- lizzie on September 18th, 2007

A child is a child, and if a child from ANY location needs a home, I am all for their being adopted by a loving family.
I am also interested to know how many American children in need J-Lin has adopted.
Congrats to Mary-Louise and a big “welcome” to her new little daughter!

- daphneesmith on September 18th, 2007

I’m assuming she chose Africa with her working closely with Brad Pitt in their newest film. I assume that had quite an effect on her.

- Amany on September 18th, 2007

I have not adopted any kids yet Daphnee, but I am adopted. I love my parents more than anything, and I’m easily reminded everyday of how different my life could have been if this wasn’t the case. I’m not criticizing MLP in the least, it takes a very special and loving person to adopt. But there are just as many kids here in this country that need homes. You see Dahpnee, I’m not ready for another child quite yet, but I do spend time with these kids. We wonder why is there so much crime and at the most horrendous things that people do. We ask where are the parents, and many times you will find there are no parents or anyone that cared for this person. I applaud Erica for her work in the orphanage. I have worked for the CDC and have been around the world to know the suffering that exists for children, and its the same no matter where you go. My heart breaks for the child that died in the orphanage, but more and more children die in foster care in this country every year. Don’t be fooled by media reports, there are tons of children in this country that are in the same position as children in third world countries. If I could take away the pain and suffering of every child in this world, I would, but I just want to bring attention to the plight of the children in this country. PEACE.

- J-Lin on September 18th, 2007

I guess we should just put all the kids in Africa and everywhere else on hold until all the kids in America have been adopted.

- romie on September 18th, 2007

I agree with the posters who say adopting a child from africa is the new trend, angelina, madonna, mary louise, and I have heard other celebrities say they wanna adopt from africa too. What about kids in america, latin countries, europe, etc, I really feel they think they adopt in africa and that grabs more attention, just my opinion.

- gabriella on September 18th, 2007

What does it matter where the child was from? She has a new family who will love her and provide her with everything she needs, like care and stability.

I accept that many children in the States need a home but having a child is a personal choice and nobody should be condemned for wanting to adopt from abroard.

Zahara Jolie-Pitt is the perfect example of the magic of adopting from Africa. She was terribly ill when her parents bought her home, now she is thriving. A happy little girl, discovering the world with her family.

I really wish we lived in a world without borders. Every child deserves a family to love them and it does not matter if they come from America or Africa.

- Amanda on September 18th, 2007

OMG this rocks! I love MLP. I also LOVE weeds! Congrats to her.

- J.M. on September 18th, 2007

gabriella- I disagree that adopting kids from Africa is the new trend. As far as I know, only three celebs have adopted from Africa so far: Angelina, Madonna, and Mary Louise. Celebs definently do adopt from other countries as well!

For example, Brad and Angelina’s most recent adoption was actually NOT an African kid, but rather an Asian kid! It is of course Pax, who was adopted from Vietnam, that I am referring to. Not only that, but Angie adopted from Asia BEFORE she ever adopted from Africa, as Maddox, her first child, was adopted from Cambodia.

J-Lin- Why are you so against International adoption? Do you think that all of the orphaned children in Africa and other foregin countries are less deserving of being adopted into a loving family than American kids? Think of little Zahara Jolie-Pitt, for example. Had she not been adopted by Angelina, she more than likely would have died before her first birthday! To be perfectly honest, your comments greatly shocked and upset me.

- Annoyomus on September 18th, 2007

Who said anything about the baby being black? All because the child is from africa we assume he/she is black? The is no reason people should get upset about some person saying adopting from africa is the new black. how do you know that person is not black. this should only be a comment zone where you comment on the article not what he said she said crap! If we really want to get people angry how about we talk about how she is able to get a child from over seas easily lol people are so funny,you can’t fix everything!. so yeah congrats to mary louis parker. I love her movies and her show.

- Lyssa on September 19th, 2007

Gabriella – I’m not sure about other regions, but I know that in a lot of Asian countries, it is really difficult to adopt. In some places, it’s practically impossible to adopt internationally, and in others – like China and India – the process is excruciatingly long due to the government’s way of handling it. I think a lot needs to be changed regarding international adoption. The corruption of many governments is astounding, and in other cases, their laws regarding adoption are extremely close minded. It breaks my heart to think of all the willing and loving parents who are trying to open their homes to children and can’t because China will only match for 4 days a month, etc. MLP (and the others) are extremely blessed to have had successful adoptions.

- emily on September 19th, 2007

I just wanted to say that my earlier post was edited to change the phrase “predominantly coloured area” to “predominantly black area.” I understand the editor’s inclination to do this as the word coloured has earned a rightly negative connotation in the US, but in South Africa the term is universally used meaning “mixed with African, Khoi-San, European and Asian blood”–basically anyone here who is not fully Native Zulu/Xhosa/Soweto (who are all classified as black). I’m a black American myself but classified as coloured in SA, so I don’t want the CBB editors to think I’m still using this terminology in the negative way it’s used in America and actually the most drug infested areas in Cape Town are NOT black–but that’s getting away from the topic at hand.

Also, I wanted to explain that all that so I can echo Lyssa’s statement in saying that none of us *know* where in Africa she adopted from–for all we know this baby girl could appear to look Hispanic, Arabic, bi-racial, or even Asian as many of the children at the place I’m working at now certainly fit this description!

Sarah’s note: Thanks for explaining. When I first saw it, I thought, ‘Wow that’ll draw some comments!’ But what you’ve said makes a lot of sense.

- Erica on September 19th, 2007

J-Lin
As an adopted person and an adoptive mother, and a black family your comment (1st comment) is HORRIFICALLY insulting and rude. I am sorry, I would normally not reply to anyone else’s comment, but CBB this is outragious.
Firstly, how many American children have you adopted before you judge?
Secondly, do you know there are over 160 million orphans in the world, most of whom are in Africa. There is no formal system for these kids, 1/2 of them will die due to preventable diseases and malnutrition, the other 1/2 who surive have a dim future when “phased out” often at 8 or 10, and left to fend for themselves. Awful things happen to these children.
To suggest something as “the new black” is actually a racist comment.

I congratulate Mary-Louise on her adoption. I am appauled by the 1st comment and am surprised CBB published it.

Sarah’s note: We discussed it before putting it through. J-Lin seems willing to explain herself (I think she answered some of your above points in her following posts) so although I disagree with her, we don’t have a problem publishing debates such as this as long as everyone is remaining respectful and disagreeing maturely and politely, as everyone seems to be doing.

- A mom on September 19th, 2007

All children need families, but J-Lin the reality is these kids will face death if not adopted…END OF STORY!
As someone who has adopted domestically and internationally that is the difference…!

I hope you turn your “beliefs” into action and adopt US kids.

CBB I wish you hadn’t posted that comment. I thought this site was supposed to be set apart from other celeb sites that made negative comments about celebrities, especially a comment that could make your readers feel victimized. To me the comment was racist and prejudice. I don’t like that we are seeing more of this on this site.

Sarah’s note: Again, we apologize if readers were offended. I noticed both your comment and the previous one from ‘a mom’ are from the same IP address and blog, so I’m not sure if you’re both the same person? I’ll reply to both comments anyway.

Our decision was based on the thought that the ‘Why Africa?’ comment would spark an interesting discussion, which it seems to have done. Since we knew from previous posts that J-Lin is black, we didn’t perceive it to be coming from a racist point of view.

- Lola7 on September 19th, 2007

I am A mom’s SIL who used her computer, hense the same address.

I personally don’t know any black person who would view something as “the new black”

I am offended, I don’t think the fact that people are disagreeing politely is acceptable. We all love CBB here, but do not find this acceptable.

Sarah’s note: Okay, thanks for letting us know and sharing your opinion.

- Lola7 on September 19th, 2007

I think it’s great. At least she is comfortable enough to raise a black child, where many would see black babies as “too different” and opt for an Asian one.

J-Lin, there is no real “trend” in people adopting African babies. In fact, there seems to be a bigger trend to avoid adopting black babies, as several documentaries about interracial adoptions indicate. The fact that 3 celebrities have set an example of breaking racial/ethnic barriers does not make African babies an “it” item. The children are not exploited. It is fantastic and will be better when people can look beyond race and ethnicity period.

If the best interests in the child is what matters, what’s the beef? Have you adopt a child orphaned from Hurricane Katrina…or a child living in poverty? Why don’t you share with us how celebrities should go about making families.

- Annie on September 19th, 2007

J-Lin, I am glad that you help to mentor the children in this country that don’t have homes but let me tell you, as someone who used to work in the field, more about the skinny when it comes to US adoptions and why many people choose to pursue international adoption.

I worked in the adoption field, in the US, in various capacities for almost four years. In that time I saw:

1. How incredibly hard it can be for those that are single, gay, or are “too old” to adopt any children other than those that have severe problems, whether it is due to being born drug addicted, being severely abused by birthparents and/or previous foster parents. Not that those children aren’t wonderful and don’t deserve homes but I can totally and fully understand that many people, especially first time parents are not equipped to raise those children.

2. The vast majority of children available for adoption in the US are past the age of 5. Whether you think it right or wrong, many people do not have an older child in mind when they adopt, at least not when it comes to a first child.

3. When it comes to private adoptions, many of the parents that I worked with had been beaten down and crushed by birthparents that have changed their mind immediately following the birth of the baby. I easily sympathized with those who went through the private adoption process at least three times and still had no child as a member of their family.

And that is just to keep it brief, there are dozens more problems in US adoption that need to be and should be fixed. Americans aren’t stopping US adoptions from happening, the system is.

For the above reasons and others that I can’t mention here due to lack of space, many of the people that I worked with chose to instead pursue international adoption. Many countries have no problems whatsoever with singles, gays and older parents. In fact, when it comes to age, most countries in the international adoption field PREFER older parents. Add to that, the fact that costs are consistant and that at the end of the process, you know that you will actually have a child makes international adoption very attractive. You may call international adoption a trend but it is a godsend for “non traditional” parents who want nothing more than a family.

I decided years ago that I was going to build my family through adoption and after working in the adoption field as I did, I am more convinced than ever that I will also be going the international route. It isn’t because I think that American children are unworthy, it is because the international process is much easier and is much more guaranteed than the way things are here.

Emily, there are many Asian countries such as Vietnam and Taiwan (just to name two) that are quite good to adopt from.

- Dawn on September 19th, 2007

Dawn – I knew that adoption no matter where it was could be difficult, but I never knew that it is common practice in the US for adoptive parents to have their child returned to the birth mother/parents. I’m torn on even how to think of that.

I do know that much needs to be done, in the US and abroad, to lessen regulations on adoption, and to correct the wrong way of thinking many governments have regarding adoption. I wish I knew how to voice my opinion where it mattered, or better yet, how to do something.

- emily on September 19th, 2007

Emily- I think what Dawn means is that sometimes, in a private adoption where the prospective adoptive parents are chosen by a birth mother before she actually gives birth, the birth mother will occasionally decide after giving birth to keep her baby.

- Annoyomus on September 19th, 2007

Yay for MLP! My heart really went out to her when Billy Crudup left her while she was pregnant. I’m glad she is finding more happiness!

As for J-Lin’s comment, I didn’t find it offensive at all. She just made the same point that seems to get made whenever a celeb adoption (international or not) post comes up… that there seems to be a trend of celebs adopting (whether or not that is true is a different point). I don’t know why her post is getting so much more negative feedback than other people who have called out celeb adoptions as trendy. That point has been made many times here on CBB.

- Sami on September 20th, 2007

There is a picture of her and the adorable little girl Harvey’s site

- kathleen on September 20th, 2007

Like I said before a HUGE Congratulations to her and her son in their new family member
I saw pictures on another site, she is simply adorable!!!!

- Lola on October 8th, 2007

I don’t think celebs adopting is trendy at all…maybe a handful have adopted and people need to remember that.Also, half who adopted, did it in the U.S. and the others at various parts of the world.Sometimes people go off about things but don’t know all of the facts. Anyhow, her daughter is cute and I’m happy for her

- Renee on October 8th, 2007

I think that J-Lin’s comment should be allowed. If not then this is just a sight
where people come to say oh, love that dress, oh how cute and that gets boring real fast. I like the comments and debate, as long as people are respectful. I like reading what the reader said about South Africa and the word coloured. It was interesting, if not for this debate I having not traveled there would not have known that. As far as the debate over the trend, I do think that celebrities are starting a trend of adopting from Africa, but in the sense that they are starting people to think about Adoptions from Africa. My husband and I recently attended an adoption seminar and there were several white couples asking about adopting from Africa. I am black and this bothered me because I know having read the statistics that there are alot of black children in the US that need to be adopted, but the new trend is a child from Africa. These are families that have no problem with the cost of international adoptions and while I am happy to see them open their hearts to any child. I do wonder why Africa? and part of me thinks its because of Angelina and Brad.

- Cheryl on October 8th, 2007

Congratulations MLP! Can’t wait to see a pic of her new daughter. For the sake of the “trend” comment, just curious…. technology has changed the way we hear about celebrities. We hear and see so much as in days gone by we didn’t hear reports about hardly anything pertaining to their personal lives, much less adoptions. Is it really a trend? What actually constitues trend? or, has it gone on all along, and WE are just now “catching up” via technology? just a thought. Mia Farrow adopted many moons ago, we don’t really hear much about that. Whatever the case may be, I’m happy for MLP AND her daughter (and her son, he must be excited to be a big brother, assuming the little girl is younger than he, hehe!)

- Campbell on October 8th, 2007

Is J-lin also irritated at all the women having biological babies too? Since there are so many children to adopt in the U.S., why is anyone even giving birth to more babies?? PERSONAL CHOICE, that’s why.

- pmfrances on October 8th, 2007

i think it’s worth commenting how mlp decided to keep the little girl’s birth name. it’s important for ash to have that connection to her roots. this is much more than what can be said for other celebrity adoptees (e.g., latin name for asian boy?!?!) who have lost their pre-adoption identity and are named just to suit their parents’ fancy. just the fax (er, i mean facts) as i see it.

- creme on October 9th, 2007

I can see where J-Lin is coming from by asking why more people aren’t interested in adopting babies and children from the U.S. I know a few couples who chose to adopt out of the U.S. Mainly from China and they adopted baby girls. One couple said it was easier than the adoption processes in the U.S. and England. The other said that they wanted a Chinese baby. I guess to each their own reagarding the adoption reasons, but after working with shelters and programs here in the states, I’d look in the U.S. first for a child who needed a family.

As to Amom and Lola7′s being upset with J-lin’s “new black” comment; have you never heard the term “such and such is the new black”. It is just a term, as a black woman myself, I’m at a loss as to how people of my race can still interpret such comments into a racial thing. Perhaps if J-lin had made it into a bad joke and then said “no pun intended”, but come on, I think you both full well know what she meant and that it certainly wasn’ meant to be taken out of context.

- Jen on October 9th, 2007

creme- If you are referring to Pax Jolie-Pitt…Yes, Pax is indeed a Latin name. However, his middle name, Thien, is Vietnamese, so part of his name does, in fact, reflect his birth country.

Also, Angelina stated in an interview that Pax’s name (well, at least his first name), was actually chosen by his grandmother, her mother. When Angie was pregnant with Shiloh, her mom made her and Brad a list of baby names she liked and recommended….and Pax happened to be one of them (naturally, the reason Shiloh wasn’t named Pax is because, plain and simple, she’s a girl. ).

In otherwords, they didn’t re-name him “just to suit their fancy”. The name they gave him was special to them because Angie’s mom chose it.

That said, I do think it’s nice when adoptive parents give their children some version of their birth name. However, I can understand why some adoptive parents choose to give their children names that don’t have any connection with their birth names or countries (especially those who adopt from places like China and Japan, since names from those countries are often next-to-impossible for Americans to pronounce correctly).

- Annoyomus on October 9th, 2007

pmfrances – KUDOS!! I totally agree with you!

creme, I notice you only mentioned Angelina and Brad when talking about parent changing the name of their adopted children? Why? They are not the first and they certainly will not be the last parents to do so, celebrity or not.

As Anonymous so rightly put it above, Pax’s name was not changed ‘just to suit their fancy’. It was chosen by Angelina’s mother who died shortly before her 2nd grandson came home and it will forever give him a connection to his Grandma.

And what’s so wrong about changing his name anyway? He’s moving to a new country, to be with a new family. A new name to fit in with brother and sisters seems logical to me. If they didn’t change his name how would they have explained that to him?

“Well we thought really long and hard about your brother and sisters names. We chose names that meant something beautiful to us and had real meaning. But we couldn’t be bothered changing yours in case we offended someone.”

Anyone who adopts is doing a wonderful thing and does not deserve to be chastised over it.

- Amanda on October 10th, 2007

I forgot to add, Angelina has stated that she has a Vietnamese person come to visit Pax so he doesn’t lose the ability to speak in his native tongue.

Add to that, the fact that she and Brad will set up a charity/foundation in Vietnam and will no doubt take him back to Vietnam (as they do with Maddox), I am confident that little Pax will never lose touch with his birth country.

- Amanda on October 10th, 2007

Thank you, Creme! Speaking as an internationally adopted child, my Caucasian parents gave me an English name (named after my paternal grandmother) and retained my Chinese name to be used as my middle name. My Chinese name means “beautiful sparrow”, given to me by my birth mother. Perhaps she saw my potential to reach proverbial great heights, or perhaps my gurgling was music to her ears. Regardless, my Chinese name is reflective of my heritage and is an actualized connection between my biological mother and me. I am forever grateful to my adopted parents for their wisdom.

As for the much debated Pax Jolie-Pitt [which, by the way, you never directly mentioned ]… he was named Pham Quang Sang. What is the significance of that name? I don’t know, and neither will Pax.

I guess, simply put, each person is a sum of all parts.

- SLP on October 10th, 2007

I will never understand the people saying American should be adopted first. Why? Explain to me why you feel that a child born in the US is more deserving of a good home than a child born somewhere else?

Let’s just be happy these people are adopting and with that giving a child a better life.

- Sarita on October 10th, 2007

Amanda, ITA! That said, I know this is getting slightly off-topic, but….I hope that Angie and Brad also plan to take Zahara back to Ethiopia for visits. They’ve taken Maddox back to Cambodia for visits, and Angie has mentioned that they plan to take Pax back to Vietnam for visits. However, as far as I know, Brad and Angie have never said a word about plans to bring Zahara back to Ethiopia for visits. I would think that they would want her to mantain a connection with her birth country, just as her big brothers are doing.

Angie has mentioned setting up an Ethiopian-based charity for Z (just as they have done for Maddox in Cambodia), but beyond that, they’ve never mentioned anything about keeping Z connected to her birth country. Anyone have any ideas why they’ve never mentioned taking Z back to Ethiopia for visits?

- Annoyomus on October 10th, 2007

There is something inherently racist (and startling) about people who seem to feel American children are somehow more deserving of a good home than children from any other part of the world. Being American doesn’t make a child more special or deserving, sorry.

- taryn on December 13th, 2007

I really, REALLY hate to jump into this, and I’m sure I’ll regret it, but I feel like I need to try.

To taryn (and I write this respectfully): I think you might have the wrong idea when you say that the belief that American children are more deserving of a good home is “inherently racist.” I say this because I think a lot of people have missed what is at the heart of this “Why Africa and not America?” debate. Lemme try to offer a different perspective since most people seem to be looking at this from the same or similar angles.

One thing that I’ve noticed with posters on this site who listed examples of [American] celebrities that have adopted American children is that all of the children in these cases were white. I think that’s why these examples aren’t swaying the people frustrated about international adoption. I’ve noticed that most of the people–not all, but most–who have brought up the “Why Africa?” argument (not just on this board, but in general) are black people. And I think the frustration is routed in race relations in America.

From numerous conversations I’ve observed and been a part of, it’s obvious that many black people in this country feel American blacks are not only the least respected race/culture in our country, but that Americans are the least respected blacks in the world. I mean, honestly, look at what parts of our culture make it to the media compared to other countries. Not exactly flattering. I think people feel like blacks from the islands or Latin America or Europe or anywhere else, even Africa are more valued (and considered more exotic) than we are. I also think that frustration is heightened every time a new celebrity/African adoption makes news. There seems to be a feeling of being passed over. Whether you think it’s ridiculous or not, the root of this argument isn’t really misguided patriotism, it’s race.

No one can argue that a child in need given a good home is an amazing thing, no matter where they came from. I just wanted to point out that this “Why Africa?” debate goes deeper than the surface and it’s about so much more than most people are willing to bring to the table for discussion.

So without taking sides in the debate, that’s another perspective I wanted to offer everyone. Now discuss. Respectfully. Or not.

- LL on December 19th, 2007

Oh, I did want to take a side on something else said here.

I actually thought the “I hope kids from Africa does not turn into the new black” comment was hilarious, mainly because I assumed the poster was completely unaware of how unintentionally ambiguous that sentence turned out to be. That being said, no one can speak for the entire black race, even if they are, themselves, black. Obviously it offended some people, while some people were fine with it. I just look at the person’s intention. Sometimes I get offended no matter what (example: the phrase “cotton-picking hands” which I hate), but if I know the person’s intention, I know whether it’s worth an argument or a simple expression of disappointment.

Blah. The last thing I wanted to do was come off all preachy so I apologize if either of these comments are annoying. I just felt a strong connection to this debate and I had to insert my foot–’scuse me, myself–into my mouth–whoops, I mean, into the conversation.

Okay, I quit.

- LL on December 19th, 2007