CNN reports some activists in Malawi are petitioning Madonna's adoption of a Malawian boy.

It is a mixed bag. I know a few people who have been involved in this system, either as adopting parents or as adopted children. From the looks of it, the children have turned out well. Some identity issues arise in the late teen years and college years, something to overcome for sure, but not terribly debilitating. I have also seen more recently friends who have adopted foreign children.

I worked with two orphan children in Zambia who were adopted fairly recently by the parents of a girl who I spent some time directly working with these two brothers. It took three years for them to get adopted, and in those three years I saw their health deteriorate and their situation get worse. As they got older, they got neglected. It is tough for older kids to get adopted. I think it was an incredible opportunity for them, even if they have changed climates (Zambia to Minnesota?!?).

But the activists raise some good questions. With the onset of globalization, cultural loss is happening at an alarming rate. Foreign adoption is a contributor to that, but a small one. It is worse if an entire culture adopts foreign culture and transplants it to its own land rather than vice verse. Even these activists are stuck in a cultural transplant. But the argument is something to take into consideration.

They also fear that foreign adoption gives way to child trafficking. This is a significant concern as the sex industry in every country is on the rise and the cheapest way to get "employees" is to kidnap and enslave them.

Some advice in CNN's article was to tread lightly and I think that is the best possible advice when it comes to foreign adoption.

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