Adoption

[loulou]

Why is Madonna adopting an African orphan? Can't she find a baby in this country to adopt?

[Gilly0812]

Hi Loulou

Babies in this country are actually very hard to adopt.  They are very few and far between because of our contraception/abortion alternatives.

My sister has just managed to adopt a baby from Guatemala.  Daisy, she is gorgeous and due be here in about 4 weeks.  It has taken YEARS to get her.  My sister tried and tried to adopt from this country but she and her husband both have a history of cancer.  This has made it difficult for them to be considered suitable parents (they are both clear of cancer now thank God).  Eventually she was encouraged to adopt an older child from a heroin addicted mother.  That is not what she wanted.  The adoption people in this country made her feel guilty because it was not what she wanted.  Hence she went overseas.  I am sooo looking forward to meeting little Daisy soon.

[smurfboy]

It's virtually impossible to adopt a baby in the UK now, not just because of abortion and contraception, but because unmarried and teenage mothers are no longer expected to be ashamed. Thankfully the days of unmarried mother's homes are over. These days if you want to adopt it will most likely be an older child who has been taken into care.

[oldspice]

I think it's admiral that people wish to give a baby who would otherwise live in an orphanage an good home. God Bless Daisy and her new home Gilly.

However, two thing concern me. Firstly, every help shoud be given to countries that have a high number of homeless babies so that members of their own population are willing to adopt them and bring them up in their own culture. This will take a very long time indeed and meanwhile I welcome these babies with open arms.

The second thing that concerns me is the habit of celebrities to adopt exotic-looking babies from disadvantaged communities and obtain a huge amount of publicity as a result.

Finally, I wish there were more people willing to adopt older children from these countries who are all too often left to fend for themselves on the streets.

[loulou]

A Malawian child rights group has said it wants to stop Madonna adopting a child from the African country.

The organisation, Eye of the Child, said it would seek a court injunction if the government did not halt its interim order approving the adoption.

"It's not like selling property," the group said in a statement.

Madonna is thought to have flown out of Malawi on Friday without the child, having filed adoption papers to adopt the one-year-old, called David Banda.

[Cherry_Ripe]

Why is Madonna adopting an African orphan? Can't she find a baby in this country to adopt?

He's not even an orphan; he has a father who who couldn't cope after his wife's death. In my view this adoption, if it goes ahead, is not in the best interests of this boy.

If Madonna wants to help this boy she should sponsor his family, his village even, and help the community to help themselves in their own country.

[smurfboy]

Exactly. She adopts the boy and gets loads of good publicity, but his extended family, the people of his village, and thousands of other children in what is the world's third poorest country will continue to suffer.

[Cherry_Ripe]

According to the BBC news website, Madonna has pledged to donate about $3m (£1.6m) to help 900,000 orphans in Malawi.

If this is so, and she genuinely believes she is making a difference, then why does she want to take this one little boy home?

[smurfboy]

It seems Madonna is going to be in for a bit of a shock if and when she does get this boy back to the UK, as according to last night's news she will have to go through the British adoption system too, including attending preparation classes and suitability assessments from social workers. Will she still be such an Anglophile when she realises she can't just buy a baby over here?

[loulou]

Why is Madonna adopting an African orphan? Can't she find a baby in this country to adopt?

He's not even an orphan; he has a father who who couldn't cope after his wife's death. In my view this adoption, if it goes ahead, is not in the best interests of this boy.

If Madonna wants to help this boy she should sponsor his family, his village even, and help the community to help themselves in their own country.

I agree with Cherry. Madonna should donate money to help this boy stay with his father.

[oldspice]

That child comes from a loving but poor community. It's criminal to take him out of that and into our putrid, money-grapping, image-obessed country.

How would we feel if people in Malwi started to try and adopt white orphan children from this country?

[kevvosa]

How would we feel if people in Malwi started to try and adopt white orphan children from this country?

There would be an uproar. This is what I hate about being part of our culutre - we take take take but never give back.

[smurfboy]

Am I the only one who keeps thinking of The Royle Family whenever they talk about 'baby David' on the news?

Apparently Madonna has secured a US visa for the baby, suggesting she will try and adopt him under more lenient US adoption laws.

[lorri]

i cant help but wonder which life is worse for the poor lad, one of poverty or one in the "pop stars adopted son" and all the complictions, temptations and media frenzy that brings 

[loulou]

Celebrities get these black babies as if they are buying the latest Prada handbag.