Right: Madonna's fellow entertainer Bono says that the singer should be applauded for her work in Africa.
Background information
Madonna's adoptions(The following information is abbreviated from Wikipedia's Madonna entry. The full text can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_(entertainer))
In October 2006, Madonna traveled to Malawi to help build an orphanage, which she also funded as part of the Raising Malawi initiative.
On October 10, 2006, Madonna filed adoption papers for a boy named David Banda Mwale, born on September 24, 2005 and renamed David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie.
Banda was flown out of Malawi on October 16. The adoption raised strong public reaction because Malawian law requires would-be parents to reside in Malawi for one year before adopting. The effort was highly publicised and culminated in legal disputes.
Madonna refuted the allegations on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She said that there are no written adoption laws in Malawi that regulate foreign adoption and that Banda had been suffering from pneumonia after surviving malaria and tuberculosis when she met him.
Singer and humanitarian activist, Bono, defended her by saying, "Madonna should be applauded for helping to take a child out of the worst poverty imaginable.
Some said that Banda's biological father Yohane did not understand what adoption meant and had assumed that the arrangement was fostering.
Yohane said, "These so-called human rights activists are harassing me every day, threatening me that I am not aware of what I am doing." He also said, "They want me to support their court case, a thing I cannot do for I know what I agreed with Madonna and her husband." Madonna responded that Banda had rejected her offer of financial support and preferred adoption.
The adoption was finalised on May 28, 2008.
Madonna decided to adopt again from Malawi in 2009.
The country's High Court initially approved the adoption of the four year old girl Chifundo "Mercy" James. However the adoption was later ruled out with court registrar Ken Manda stating that the adoption was rejected since Madonna is not a resident of Malawi.
This ruling was overturned by the country's highest court in June 2009.
On Friday, June 12, 2009, the Supreme Court of Malawi granted Madonna the rights to adopt Mercy James.
Angelina Jolie's adoptions
(The following information is abbreviated from wikipedia's entry fro Angelina Jolie. The full text can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelina_Jolie)
On March 10, 2002, Jolie adopted her first child, seven-month-old Maddox Chivan.[14] He was born on August 5, 2001 as Rath Vibol in Cambodia, and he initially lived in a local orphanage in Battambang. Jolie decided to apply for adoption after she had visited Cambodia twice, while filming Tomb Raider and on a UNHCR field trip in 2001. After her divorce from her second husband, Billy Bob Thornton, Jolie received sole custody of Maddox. Like Jolie's other children, Maddox has gained considerable celebrity and appears regularly in the tabloid media.
Jolie adopted a six-month-old girl from Ethiopia, Zahara Marley, on July 6, 2005. Zahara was born on January 8, 2005. She was originally named Yemsrach by her mother, and was later given the legal name Tena Adam at an orphanage. Jolie adopted her from Wide Horizons For Children orphanage in Addis Ababa. Shortly after they returned to the United States, Zahara was hospitalized for dehydration and malnutrition. In 2007, media outlets reported Zahara's biological mother, Mentewabe Dawit, was still alive and wanted her daughter back, but she later denied these reports, saying she thought Zahara was "very fortunate" to be adopted by Jolie.
On March 15, 2007, Jolie adopted a three-year-old boy from Vietnam, Pax Thien, who was born on November 29, 2003 and abandoned at birth at a local hospital, where he was initially named Pham Quang Sang. Jolie adopted the boy from the Tam Binh orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City. She revealed that his first name, Pax, was suggested by her mother before her death.
Internet information
Wikipedia's entry on International Adoption gives details on the general procedures that need to be followed. The international adoption laws outlined by the Hague Conference. It also outlines some of the major problems associated with international adoption.
The full entry can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_adoption
Raising Malawi is a charitable organisation that raises money primarily for Malawian orphans. It was co-founded by Madonna and Michael Berg in 2006 in conjunction with the Kabbalah Centre Charitable.
Details of the organization's work can be found at http://wapedia.mobi/en/Raising_Malawi
On March 28, 2009, the Internet comment and analysis site The Huffington Post, published an article titled, 'UK Charity Urges Madonna To Reconsider Adoption'. The full text of this article can be found at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/28/uk-charity-urges-madonna-_n_180331.html
On March 31, 2009, The International Business Times published an article on Raising Malawi which suggests there have been some irregularities in the management of funds raised for Malawi. The full text of the article can be found at http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/3040/20090331/problems-with-the-money-in-madonnas-raising-malawi-association.htm
In April 2009, the Internet opinion site, Helium, published thirteen detailed comments under the general heading, 'Assessing Madonna's Right to Adopt a Child'. The first of these (together with a clickable index to the other twelve) can be found at http://www.helium.com/items/1403274-madonnas-adoption-attempt
(Please note, the clickable index to all the opinion pieces on this issue is to be found at the end of the first published comment. Readers will need to scroll to the end of this comment to access the others.)
On April 1, 2009, the Internet comment and analysis site The Huffington Post published an analysis of the current international adoption trend titled, 'Madonna's African Adoptions Part Of Growing Trend'. The full text of the analysis can be found at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/01/madonnas-african-adoption_n_181902.html
On April 2, 2009, US television ABC's internet site published an opinion piece on international adoption, particularly as practised by Madonna, titled, 'Is Madonna's Malawi Adoption Crusade Setting a Good Example?' The article is essentially supportive of Madonna's action. The full text can be found at http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WinterConcert/story?id=7236730&page=1
On April 4, 2009, The Mail Online published a news report titled, 'Judge slaps down Madonna adoption bid: "I won't let you just jet in and take one of Malawi's children"'. Though purporting to be a news report, this article focuses on the negative comments of the Malawi High Court judge who refused madonna's adoption bid. The full text of this article can be found at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1166850/Judge-slaps-Madonna-adoption-bid-I-wont-let-just-jet-Malawis-children.html