Sandra Bullock’s son, Louis, now has a new little sister. The actress confirmed with People magazine that she adopted a 3 1/2-year-old girl from Louisiana named Laila.
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Bullock says that she was prompted to speak about the adoption after learning that a photo of Laila was being shopped around to various tabloids. But she intended on keeping her daughter’s life private because she was a foster child. The photo in question was taken during a visit to the ER.
“Unbeknownst to me, a photographer had followed us and taken a photo of us in line,” Bullock stated. “The next day, I learned that a photo of her was being shopped around for sale to every outlet around the world. I had promised and legally agreed to protect her from something like this, and here I was chasing down lawyers—having them begging them to keep her safe.”
Bullock also said that Louis, whom she adopted in 2010, has completely bonded with his little sister and was her motivation for the adoption.
“Louis spearheaded this whole journey,” she says. “I knew she was scared, and all I wanted was for her to know Louis and I weren’t going anywhere,” she says.
Bullock is an advocate for adoption and foster care, especially since there are kids right here in the U.S. without homes. Bullock said that there are 415,129 children currently in foster care in the U.S., and the more people become aware of the issue, the faster homes can be found for them.
For more information about fostering in the U.S., go to adoptuskids.org or kids-alliance.org.
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