Except the only part of it that was "giving birth in Africa" was the geography. Apparently, they flew a whole team of US doctors/nurses/techs etc. over to due the delivery; paid a fortune to have an OR/labor/delivery room built in the hotel. The whole thing is completely ridiculous.
People here know what I think of "Brangelina." This quote (from an article in the New York Times about Jennifer Aniston) sums it up perfectly, for me:
Meanwhile, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, perfecting their mastery of the media, have gone from adopting children to adopting a whole country, Namibia. Remarkably, the press has swooned for this stunt, recasting the cad and the femme fatale as humanitarians instead of two people who brought along their Los Angeles obstetrician and who knows how many other loyal retainers to Africa to stage-manage their baby's birth.
That's a bit harsh, don't you think
lnicoll?
So what if they brought their own doctors with them? Wouldn't most of us like to do that when we travel to foreign countries if we could? Especially one where the medical services are not up to what we would like?
It isn't just Africa.
A relative of mine - a U.S. citizen - was living in Germany and went into labor in the middle of a snowstorm. In the local hospital she was rushed to, she was given a midwife to help her with the birth. I think this is standard in Germany. Anyway, she didn't want a midwife! She wanted a DOCTOR.
In another case, I forgot who it was, but some ice skater idolizes a fellow ice skater who's from Russia because while at an event there, she became extremely ill and went to a local hospital. Not exactly the place you want to be ill - a country - at the time - known for re-using syringes and not having antibiotics. This fellow skater showed up at the hospital with his personal physician and his own personal stock of medical supplies to help her out.
Seems Angelina can't win.
She announces she's having her child in Namibia - people are criticizing her about the poor health care and danger she's putting herself and her soon-to-be-born child in. So she decides to bring her own doctor. Now the criticism falls that bringing her own doctor is a 'stunt' or part of her 'posse'.
Damned if she does and damned if she doesn't.
Spending and donating millions in a country that sorely needs the money isn't a 'stunt'. Angelina was giving money to humanitarian causes - becoming a citizen of Cambodia - long before she met Brad or got pregnant. The New York Times sure has a short memory.
Damned if she does and damned if she doesn't...
OT: Britney is an idiot. She needs to cut her losses - KFed - and start reworking her image as a sane professional as soon as possible.
