There is an interesting post on Babble about Madonna and her plans to adopt, and why people (and the media) react differently to her than they do to Angelina Jolie. I'll see if I can find the link.

Go Madge Go. Blessed is the woman who takes another's child as her own. You could have chosen to adopt from other more affluent parts of the world, you cold have chosen to adopt a white child. Just by choosing a child from poverty striiken Malawi and bring him up as your own and come back for another one is a remembrance in heaven. I am in you corner and so are most MALAWIAN WOMEN WHo imagine the pain of a child growing up without a mother's love. A child growing up in poverty. You can come back for a third. I know God is recording your works in heaven. These children would have been a statistic had it not been for you. You have done alot of good for MALAWI. Because of you our country is known, what more can we ask for.
Go for it

This story broke in Europe well over a week ago - strange how it's only breaking now in the US. I'm all in favour of international adoptions - but this one leaves me sickened. Sickened? YES. Why? Because this child HAS extended family in Malawi, family who don't want her to be adopted. They have been apparently bullied and harrassed by people acting on Madonna's behalf for the past 2 years! This is, by any measure, sick. Not only that, but they can't afford a lawyer, and had no idea why they were due to appear in a court this week. They've now been told that Mercy will come back to Malawi when she's older. I wonder how anyone can make such a promise, when Madonna didn't stick to her promise to let David stay in touch with his natural father. He met him in a stage managed meeting for the first time this week, and naturally, having lived in the UK and the States, only now speaks English. Presumably so will Mercy if she gets adopted. So how are they going to return to Malawi? Is Madonna going to hire a personal coach for them to keep them aware of their language, their culture as they grow?? She can afford personal trainers for most other things, will she do that? If she does, my level of respect might grow - but seeing as its at rock bottom for the material girl, I doubt it. And don't come back saying that she's also pouring money into her charity... sure she is.. But that charity is also about to demolish the homes of people in a village to build a school... Great, so a school gets built but the people are left homeless with no compensation. Great Charity.... NOT.

Inercountry adoption is a viable option for orphans around the world if the following steps are taken:

1. The child is a true orphan with no family (including appropriate
extended family)
2. The child cannot find appropriate, permanent, in-country care in a
family-like setting
3. There is an established system for intercountry adoption in the
country of origin

There should be concern for this child who seems to be on a fast-track to intercountry adoption without any regard for the three points listed above. We know that the child's grandmother is alive and there may be other relatives able to care for her as well.

The annual 'salary' in Mawlawi is about $160.00 per year. If Madonna contributed only slightly over $2200.00 towards the care of this child then she could remain in her country until adulthood, and be educated there, with no economic burden on anyone.

Why do people think they have the right to take children away frojm their family, country, culture to fulfill their own needs?

And, who needs someone like Madonna, who appears to go through men like water, adopting a child?

Adopting is a great thing but NOT if the child has family ! I don't understand why madonna can not find a child that is a true orphan, if she so wants to adopt another child ! She really does give inter-country adoption bad press, which I think is really unfair for other people that have adopted "legitimately".

I think there are legitimately two sides to this argument. That Madonna "go[es] through men like water" isn't one of them, IMHO.

I'm not entirely clear why Madonna attracts so much criticism. But ultimately we should remember that most people in Malawi do not live beyond the age of 50, Mercy's life expectancy increases straight away by being adopted. That should be enough in itself.

And Madonna seems like type of person who is genuinely interested in other cultures so I can't see her denying her adopted children future access their racial heritage. After all, she's already taken David back to meet his biological father in Malawi, which is unheard of in formal adoptions in the West.

And lastly, Madonna has shone a light on a country that most of us hadn't even heard of before she went there. Yes, perhaps its cultural make-up might shift a little with Western awareness, but at least Madonna has done something that will actively SAVE LIVES.

What have YOU done?

If this little girl has extended family, why is she in an orphanage? Growing up in an orphanage is not a good experience for a small child. If extended family has no money and people give the family money to care for her, is that really going to happen or will they spend it for their own needs? This country is one of the poorest in Africa.

Why not let the legal authorities in Malawi decide what is best for Mercy James? They are the ones charged with knowing the facts regarding this child, if family exists and their ability to care for her. How would you like someone in Malawi telling your state social services department or your state court how they should handle adoption matters, which those entities consider a private matter closed to public opinion.

People need to realize that Adoption first off is a good thing. Think about it. If Madonna would adopt here in the states the childs family would become a circus. It would no longer be private. If the family who gave up the child found out that Madonna adopted it they would want the child back. Furthermore, all people who are given up for adoption have family. Hello! A child has to be given up by someone. People I believe are just haters of Madonna. She is Rich Smart Talented Beautiful Skinny all at the age of 50. Grow up and show the love. Such [deleted]...

I do as much as I can I did buy milk for a baby in a Congo. I talked to the homeless who I'd see and feed them when I saw them..And yea they weren't kids but they are people...

A comment in response to Edward that Madonna has "already taken David back to meet his biological father in Malawi, which is unheard of in formal adoptions in the West"... hmmm.
Can we examine this comment? First of all, on what data are you basing this comment? I wasn't aware that OECD, UNICEF, UNHCHR or any other intergovernmental organisation was gathering data on this - maybe you can enlighten us?
I happen to know personally of a number of people who've been fortunate enough to adopt children from other countries. In ALL instances, they return to the country they adopted their children from (Africa and China), on an annual basis, at extreme personal cost, but they do so with love, and because they want their children to remain connected to the land and culture they come from. They also completed significant pre-adoption formalities in their own country of residence, who then liaised with the relevant foreign country regarding the legalities and suitability of adoption. In the case of two of the children adopted from China, they retain their ability to speak Chinese, and they continue to have positive relationships with the orphanages they came from. Sadly, they were true orphans, with no known family, so they didn't have a biological parent to go back to. If they did, they'd quite rightly be wondering why their biological parent had deserted them.

As for David being kept in contact with his biological father - the child doesn't know that this is his biological father: he referred to Guy Richie as his dad (which he legally is) during the stage-managed meeting with his natural father. What's more, David has not retained his native language and cannot communicate in any way with his biological dad, who he saw ONCE for a brief few hours just prior to the first failed adoption hearing, at what can only be considered to be a manipulative press event designed to paint the material girl in a good light. Why, oh why, oh why, could Madonna not have hired someone to keep that language and culture alive - she is after all making sure the child is learning French!

As I've said before in comments to this page, I am all in favour of inter-country adoptions, when they are handled properly, legally and sensitively. In this case, it isn't, and I applaud the judgement issued yesterday in Malawi. Madonna is an egomaniac with a strong case of hubris syndrome, who seems intent on just getting her own way. The fact that a publicist is referring to the adoption of Mercy as providing a 'similar' sibling for David not only verges on racisim, it IS racist!.

And as for those who think Madonna is doing so much for Malawi - please wake up and smell the coffee! One of her latest projects will destroy farming land and displace families... and her projects are dependent on those who avail of aid also accepting the Kabbalah message. That is NOT aid.

Let the debate on inter-
country adoptions begin... but there should not be 'easier' rules just because someone has money and celebrity... the judge in Malawi was right - it raises the horrible spectre of child trafficking, which is a much bigger problem that we in the West want to even contemplate.