We are accustomed to seeing photographs of American film stars with their adopted children. Madonna has four, Angelina Jolie has three and Mia Farrow has seven adopted children in all.
I think one reason why American celebrities seem more likely to adopt children is simple: America has always been more positive in its attitude to adoption. American pro-natalist values and optimistic outlook saw the adopted child as a warm-hearted benefit to the family, where many British and European attitudes to adoption were negative.
