Senate and House Members issue letter to Warner Brothers regarding Orphan movie

July 21, 11:24 PMInternational Adoption ExaminerCathy Doheny

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Sen. Mary Landrieu signed the letter to Warner Bros, regarding Orphan* 

On July 14, 2009, three Members of the United States Senate and three Members of the House issued a letter to Warner Brothers regarding their concerns about the "Orphan" movie and its negative implications for the 129,000 US foster children and the millions of orphans worldwide waiting to be adopted:

While we understand the movie may be intended as a far-fetched thriller, its trailer contains images and messages about adopted youth that are inaccurate.

...While these children often come from troubled families, they have the ability to form healthy relationships, achieve in school and succeed in life when given the opportunity. Having met with hundreds of these young people as part of our advocacy for change, we can personally attest to how incredibly strong, loving, and promising they each are.

The letter, addressed to Chairman and CEO Barry M. Meyer, went on to express support for Warner Brothers' decision to remove from the film's trailer the offensive line, "It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own," after adoptive parents banded together to express their outrage. The  Senators and Members of Congress emphasized that this was a step in the right direction.

As almost any adoptive parent will tell you, the immediate sense of love and belonging that exists between a child and adoptive parents is on par in every way with the relationship formed between a parent and their biological child. Furthermore, most adoptive parents would take issue with the movie's message that an adopted child is not 'one's own' since the only distinction between biological and adopted children is how they came to be a member of a family.

While acknowledging that it may not have been the intention of Warner Brothers Studios to promote stereotypes or discourage the public from adopting a child, the letter also clearly states that these indeed may be the consequences of the film:

Therefore, we encourage you to continue to take steps to help us in conveying the positive and more accurate messages about US foster children and orphans worldwide outlined above. We look forward to your continued partnership in advancing this important issue.

The letter was issued five days following a similar one sent by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and was signed by:

•  Mary L. Landrieu, United States Senator (D - Louisiana)
• Dr. Tom A. Coburn, United States Senator (R - Oklahoma)
• James M. Inhofe, United States Senator (R - Oklahoma)
• Michele Bachmann, Member of Congress (R - Minnesota)
• John Boozman, Member of Congress (R - Arkansas)
• Danny K. Davis, Member of Congress (D - Illinois)

As of July 21, 2009, there were 10,524 children in North Carolina in foster care, some of which are available for adoption. In addition, there are currently 129,000 children in the US foster care system, and approximately 145 million orphans worldwide waiting to be adopted.

Warner Brothers intends to release "Orphan" in theaters nationwide on Friday.

For more info: Foster Youth Internship Program (Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute), sign the petition to urge Warner Bros. to donate a portion of "Orphan" movie proceeds to the world's orphans (part of Orphans Deserve Better initiative) 

 *photo - Wikimedia Commons, quotes taken from letter to Barry M. Meyer from the Senators and Members of Congress referenced above. Letter provided by Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.