Chapman Weighs in on Madonna Adoption Controversy

Steven Curtis Chapman hopes Madonna controversy won't discourage adoptive parents
Steven Curtis Chapman hopes that the recent negative attention surrounding Madonna's pendingadoption of an African baby will ultimately inspire others to recognize the need and adopt children as well.

Controversy has surrounded Madonna's pending adoption of a 13-month-old boy from Malawi, particularly whether the child's father understood the legalities of the proceedings. Madonna has maintained that she followed all laws."

The bottom line is, there are 145 million estimated orphans in the world," says Steven, the Christian singer who is a national adoption spokesman. "Anytime a celebrity turns their focus to that, I think good comes from it. It opens up more people to consider the fact that, 'Wow, there are a lot of children in the world who don't have families.'"

Am I concerned there would be negative light on it? Yes," says Steven, who adopted three daughters from China. "I am always concerned that there will be negative press for adoption. I would rather say, hey, a lot more good can come out of it than the negative."

I've got to admit that I scratch my head when I see a celebrity riding in on a white horse to save the day for a child or country. But the fact of the matter is, these children are literally dying physically, and their spirit is dying and there's hopelessness. If these celebrities are going to use their celebrity for that, I'm going to cheer on the good and raise the flag if there are questionable issues."

Well said.