Photo by Richard Mushet
Elton John, 62, has announced his intentions to adopt an orphan from Ukraine with his partner, David Furnish, 46. John has been involved with AIDS charities and educational programs for decades, and the two were recently visiting an orphanage in Ukraine. While there, the two became attached to a 14-month-old boy who is HIV positive.
After deciding to adopt the boy, Elton John announced his intentions to the press. He said that though David Furnish has long wanted to adopt a child, John resisted because of his age and his frequent travel. But, when the two met the little boy, John changed his mind about adoption.
While the idea of the couple adopting a special-needs orphan may be heartwarming to some, the announcement has come under fire from several directions. Not only is the adoption illegal in Ukraine, but several children's charities are also opposed to the adoption.
Among the many problems with Elton John's adoption intentions is the civil union between John and Furnish. Civil unions and same-sex marriages aren't recognized in Ukraine, making Elton John single. Only married couples are allowed to adopt in the country.
Another legal snag is the age requirement in place for Ukraine adoptions. The adoptive parents and the adoptive child can't be more than 45 years apart in age. Elton John is 61 years older than the baby, further making him ineligible. If he attempts to push the adoption through despite the illegality, a repeat of Madonna's Malawi PR nightmare is virtually guaranteed.
In addition to the legal troubles, charities like EveryChild, a British children's charity, are publicly warning against the adoption. They claim that celebrity adoption of foreign orphans encourages more mothers to abandon their children in the hopes that they will be adopted internationally. According the EveryChild, 95 percent of Ukrainian children in orphanages have at least one living parent. The children are often abandoned by mothers with HIV. EveryChild instead calls for a push to keep families together and to end the stigma faced by children of HIV-positive mothers.
Comments
I believe that in the case of children with special needs, the laws should be relaxed - certainly it is better for these children to be placed in single-family homes than institutions? Also, I disagree with Every Child's philosophy against celebrity adoptions. Such adoptions have served to help raise awareness of the plight of these orphans, thereby prompting more adoptions by non-celebrities. While I realize you are not necessarily agreeing with these statements, I feel it is very important that awareness be raised on the 13 million orphans living in orphanages throughout the world and celebrities are in a unique position to do exactly that.
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