For years, actor Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborah Lee Furness struggled to conceive naturally; when they couldn’t, they turned to an adoption agency.  It was through the adoption agency that they learned that everyday in America, thousands of children go without homes because of their mixed race. Hugh Jackman says after hearing that bit of information, the decision to adopt his mixed-race kids was a “no brainer” for him and his wife.

     “Deb and I tried biologically to have children. When we went to talk to some (agency representatives) about adoption, [they] said to me, ‘We turn away children each month because they are mixed race and they can’t find homes for them.’ It was a no brainer.”

    Today Hugh and Deborah have children Oscar Maximilian, 8, and Ava Eliot,3.




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    1. i think it is wonderful that more people are adopting period. race doesn’t matter. only ignorant people still believe so. when we adopted 10 years ago child of different race it was accepted by some, not others. I never will understand the thinking that skin color matters. the children are beautiful of course as all are.

    2. Wow, that comment you made on Feb 25th 2009 was so offensive and I wonder what has happened to you in your life to make you say something so cruel. I am biracial. I am Ethiopian and Native American. I am beautiful because my parents are beautiful. I was never confused about who I am even though people always seemed to enjoy guessing what race I am or where I am from. You are adding to the ridiculous stereotypes out there. The bottomline is that all children need love and god bless anyone out there who is trying to make a difference in a child’s life. They are after all our future.

    3. Um What?
      I have 2 issues with your statement the first is about the words “pure bred” What does that even mean? I consider myself black but my grandfather was half Blackfoot and my grandmother’s parents were part Cherokee and Irish and that’s just my mom’s side. There is no such thing as a pure bred person in America, that only works for dogs and cats where the “breeding” is controlled.

      While I’m sure every parent feels their child is the most beautiful one in the world (and I know I do) BUT I think the comment you made was pushing it. My daughter is almost 13 and reading on a level of a college sophomore, she plays two instruments, and aside from being pretty she’s a good person with good sense. Is she any less beautiful or talented because her father both and I identify as black? Would your answer change if I told you that she looked white and had blue eyes until she was 2 and green/hazel eyes until she turned 5? Is she less special than her half sister who’s mother is biracial? And if not then where do we draw the line, what’s the cut off for being mixed race, how many generations do we go back before the ugliness and lack of talent kicks in?

      I’ve been in the school system since I graduated high school and I can tell you aside from sounding ignorant your statement is just plain false. I’ve seen mixed race children who got by on their looks with no real intelligence or talent to back it up and I’ve also see very tragic faces (my nice way of saying they weren’t cute) on mixed race children. I’m not generalizing and saying all please don’t misunderstand but to claim that a child is superior to another based on something as frivolous as ethnicity makes me wonder where your brown paper bag is and how you’d feel about bringing back that standard of judgment.

      • Back to the real subject..Hugh Jackman and Adoption! Some people get to emotional by others thoughts and comments. agree to disagree.

      • wow, i never bother to do these but i just had to comment to your comment. take a chill pill. Yes that comment about mixed children is a bit much, but now you’re sounding just as ignorant as the person who posted the comment. why let someone get you so fired up so you can rant your opinion, how are you any better? In fact, it makes you worse. Geeze, unbelievable….

    4. oh Lord, BCK, he did not say no one else would, you’re making him sound racist as all hell, he said it was a no brainer, which means that that’s what he wanted when he adopted the kids…stop twisting peoples words around, that’s just mean…his kids are beautiful

    5. Kay, If all kids are equal and need love, why not go overseas? As long as a child is getting a home why do you care where they are from? You don’t even have to pay some of the fees that you listed. Brazilian adoption is free as are many others (and who said you need to rent a car lol). You also don’t have to travel to the country depending on where you are adopting from. Some agencies bring the baby to America for you.

      Like I said before, there are many factors that will make a person go overseas. For a couple that wants a child desperatly, they will choose the shortest adoption possible and that usually isn’t America. Not too long ago you only had to wait 6 months for a baby from China (hence the numerous adoptions from there). Each country also has certain rules/regulations and some of the people adopting overseas don’t meet all of the requirements that America wants of them. Age of the child is also another factor. Alot of people want babies and Guatamalan children are usually the youngest.

      Choosing where to adopt from is a personal choice. There is no right or wrong choice. You have to pick what works best for you. If you feel that American children are being stepped over, I hope that you take some of these kids in. I am sure that they would love to be with someone like you who wants to give them a home and are giving them a chance that you don’t feel others are.

    6. THANK YOU ZEE! That comment was so transparent.

      Thank God for people like Hugh and his wife, Justine and Joe Simmons, Angelina and Brad and the many other families that we don’t know of who have opened their homes to children that were in need of a loving environment and a fair chance at life.

    7. I hope no one misunderstands me. I was trying to say its sad when you can go down town and adopt a child in need of a family. But a lot of people choose to not adopt them. For whatever reason. If all kids in need are equal and need love. Then why step over the parentless American kids? And go over seas and pay airfare, hotel, rent a car, adoption fees etc.

    8. I applaud them for adopting those kids. =D It’s a wonderful thing when ANY kid that deserves a loving home gets one.

    9. sadly melissa’s comments are very similar to the way many parents with mixed kids think. and the kid are raise this way because some parents believe the kids will be outcast by both races. thats why some teach the kids that theyre better and more beutiful than both. but the kids are usually raise to think negative about the black side more than anything else. people like melissa actually make it bad for parents with biracial kids since their are all kinds of kids with beauty and talent.

    10. actually melissa’s comments are not that far off from the way many parents with mixed kids think. sadly. and a lot of times it goes un-check because some of the parents believe the kids will automaticlly be outcast by both races, so they teach this. some of these parents in relationships with blacks especially, and with asians;. knowingly or unknowingly create a you are better than your black parent and people mentality in their kids. the kid is usually raise to believe that the white side makes them more attractive and and better human. thats why race mixing in some sense is not eliminating prejudice. people like melissa actually make it harder for parents with mix kids because there are kids of other races who are equally as beautiful and talented.

    11. “They are far more beautiful and gifted than any other “pure-bred” children.”
      This statement makes absolutely no sense. Here we have a stand up guy like Hugh Jackman sharing a story of selflessness,love and acceptance, and MELISSA the imbecile sullies it with another race baiting OPINION. Good luck and God bless Hugh and his beautiful family.

    12. i remember seeing a study were black american adoptive parents often choose mixed race and light kids more than darker kids. and it also show that it didn’t matter the complexion of the parents. i think the reason why its harder for mixed kids to be adopted is the same reason its harder for black; asian or latino kids to be adopted. they’re minorities simple put; and most adoptive parents are white. the celebrities who adopt black kids are a very small group compare to regular people. its much easier or less costly for people in the u.s.a to have foster kids. but many don’t because some think of foster kids as having trouble backgrounds. with hugh jackman it was more difficult for him to adopt from his country. so thats why he choose the u.s. and kids who are not white.

    13. Some of these comments sound really stupid.

      “… when they by far are the most beautiful and gifted children”

      Are you being sarcastic? Please say you are. A child’s skin color does not make them the “most beautiful” or “most gifted”.

    14. Children of all races are beautiful and gifted…none no more than others. All children without parents, international or here at home, are deserving of a loving home.

    15. It is a no brainer to me also. Why would mixed children be over looked for Chinese, Korean and African Children when they by far are the most beautiful and gifted children.

    16. I remember watching the re-airing of some adoption special about how the U.S. is quickly becoming a international adoption hot spot. More and more people from other countries (i.e. Germany, Canada, The Netherlands, France, Australia, etc.) are adoption American kids…epsecially the black & mixed ones b/c their are so many readily available sitting in foster & group homes.

      It was crazy watching it, b/c you never think of America as one of those countries where foreigners have to come in and “rescue” our children. Its a shame.

      • I am shocked to think that Australian couples are coming here to adopt mixed and black children.
        Especially when you hear of SO MANY families here going to China, etc to adopt. Why dont we adopt from our own country?
        There are so many beautiful kids out there needing a home what race they are should never matter. I agree there is no ‘pure race’ and thank God for that. It’s the different things about us and our heritage that make us truly individuals.
        Kudo’s to the Jackman family and maybe more awareness to adoptive parents out there looking. There is beautiful babies here in our own country that need loving homes.

    17. To me it doesn’t matter where a person adopts from as long as a child is getting a loving home. I plan to adopt (I’m looking at overseas right now) and many factors led me to that decision including cost, wait, conditions which children are living in and rules and regulations. I have many family members who have fostered and or adopted from America but that is currently not the path that I want to take.

      I commend anyone that is willing to take in and love a child that is not biologically theres. I wish more people were like Hugh and his wife.

    18. That is ridiculous that mixed raced babies/kids get skipped over due to being mixed. It doesn’t make sense at all. They are still HUMAN BEINGS. Bleed the same color blood and breathes the same air. Everyone is mixed anyways. At this point, no one is fully pure….

      Thank God there are people out there like Hugh and His wife.
      God bless him for that. We need more loving people out there like them to do the same.

      • My husband and I have been trying to adopt a baby for almost 2 years. The problem is not that these kids are unwanted. The problem is the cost of adoption. Lawyers are allowed to charge such high fees. We are hopeful, but since our budget is not
        $40-50,000. we may still have quite a wait for our child to come home.

        • become a foster parent and then u can get u some children i hate to say since u don’t have that price to pay. i pray this helps u and ure spouse.

          • We are adopting out of the foster care system and there are hundreds of children there who need amazing homes.
            We simply couldn’t bring ourselves to go through private adoption because of the cost. We felt it wasn’t ethical to pay someone tens of thousands of dollars to give their child a good home when the alternative was the child to have a difficult and possibly neglectful upbringing. I know private adoption is for some, but for us, it simply didn’t sit well.
            Yes, we’ve had to work hard to jump through all the bureaucratic hoops, but it’s been worth it to expand our family.

    19. Why am I not shocked about this?! Its so sad that hundreds of white families go to China to adopt Chinese babies. When there are hundreds of children here in America who need families.

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