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Madonna's 50th Birthday Present is an Adopted Child

by generaldecay | August 15, 2008 at 06:17 am

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Madonna and her husband will adopt another child, a 3-year-old Malawian girl named Mercy James, whom Madonna met one year ago at an orphanage in Malawi, according to a report.

As a gift for Madonna's 50th birthday celebration which will be on Saturday, husband Guy Ritchie agreed to try adopt another baby, The Mail reported.

"The recent marriage rows led Guy and Madonna to have a heart-to-heart meeting in New York," said a friend, according to the report

"They asked themselves whether they were staying together for the sake of the children or because they wanted to be with each other".

"Guy came back to the UK and began to plan the big birthday. He wanted to get her the one thing she really wanted. And the one thing that she has really put on hold for him has been adopting another child".

Malawian official Mr. Penstone Kilembe, who is responsible for the adoption of little Mercy James, declared that the adoption of the child is now advanced: "all the government is waiting for is Madonna to forward the petition of adoption formalities. Then Mercy will be able to leave the country for a new life".

Does this stick in anyone else's throat? Madonna is, it seems, giving herself a child for her 50th birthday. But not just any child - a child she has hand-picked to adopt.

Now I know that this is a controversial subject, and people have many different views about the celebrity adoption of babies from other countries. I have two issues with these adoptions (which I will state briefly).

The first is that I get a strong feeling that these babies are often more accessories then cherished family members. That's likely to sound a little harsh but based on what I've read about choosing children (they must not be ugly or fat or big or have eyes too close together etc.), this is what I've concluded.

The second issue is a much more serious one, though. In adopting these children, we are doing nothing to help their birth mothers in their lives, or to help their birth countries in coping with children. Yes, these countries are very poor, and yes these birth mothers (or other family) would have great difficulty in rearing children, but I don't believe that removing these children from them is the only answer. What about help and assistance, financial aid, medical care, education etc.?

In short, I don't believe that 'but these rich western women are giving these little babies lives they would never have' is a good enough argument for removing a child from his/ her mothers and his/ her home country when there are so many alternatives which should be made available. After all, what about the 1000s of children in these countries that are never adopted? It's they who really need the help.

Thoughts?

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jordan

at 06:36 on August 15th, 2008

Also, someone like Madonna is busy enough that it can be presumed that she isn't raising her kids hands-on for much of the year anyway.

generaldecay

at 06:37 on August 15th, 2008

Very good point, Jordan. And Ritchie is too busy making terrible films, also! ;)

amyjudd

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 12:21 on August 15th, 2008

generaldecay, I like this story. It's good stuff.

I have been a Madonna fan for pretty much my whole life, but even I think that perhaps this new 'trend' of adopting African babies is not a good one. Yes, they will be given a much more amazing life, but you're right in the fact that there are more options available for working with the children in their own countries for a new program there. That will be the most beneficial I think.

Remember all that controversy over David's dad (Madonna's last child) and it's only been resolved recently. A repeat of that would not be good.

generaldecay

at 00:50 on August 16th, 2008

Exactly, Amy. It's a trend, and it will be interesting to see what will happen when the trend passes!

And some reports are saying that she might have some trouble adopting this baby too because she still has family members alive. We'll wait and see, huh!

Thanks for the GS and comment. :)