MADONNA ADOPTION HEARING POSTPONED

[tinbus]

A judge has postponed a hearing on a lawsuit by human rights groups challenging the Malawian government's decision to allow pop star Madonna to start adoption procedures for a motherless 13-month-old boy.

In Lilongwe, Judge Andrew Nyirenda postponed a hearing on the case until next Friday to give Attorney General Jane Ansah time to consult with the Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community Services.

"We are ready for the case, but the attorney general wants to consult with the Ministry of Gender on the whole adoption process," said Alan Chinula, a lawyer representing Madonna. "Our position is all legal aspects were followed.

Madonna and filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie have been given temporary custody as a step toward adopting David Banda, who has spent most of his young life in an orphanage after his mother died of complications from giving birth.

His father has said he was too poor to raise the boy on his own and that he wanted the Madonna and Ritchie to adopt him. The boy was flown to London on Tuesday and taken to Madonna's home there.

The singer said in a statement that she and her husband had followed the law in the adoption process that would be completed after an 18-month evaluation process by Malawian authorities.

Normally, prospective parents in Malawi are given custody and required to be monitored for 18 months to determine their fitness. The regulations make no special provisions for foreigners.

Yohane Banda, the father of the boy, has denounced efforts by human rights groups to challenge the adoption.

"Where were these people when David was struggling in the orphanage? These so-called human rights groups should leave my baby alone," he said.

Undule Mwakasungura, a lawyer for the Human Rights Consultative Committee, a grouping of 67 human rights groups, said the committee "is not necessarily against the adoption," it just wants the laws to be followed.

[wannaBe1974]

good on the father. what's it got to do with these human rights do-gooders anyway. Sorry but if the father is in agreement, then they should just but out.

[ScareyCaligulaCorday]

Latest news is that the father did not fully comprehend that Madonna wanted ot adopt. He says he thought it was a fostering arrangement, not a permanent final adoption.

The plot thickens

[BATtymumma]

i was quite angry that the baby was brought here by an "aid" if they wanted this child so much why didnt his new family bring him home??

the whole thing just feels wrong

[TwigTwoolett]

can't bare the outrage surrounding this! .. media lead furore if you ask me.. agree with wannabe

especially when we know the heartbreak of infertility and joy of potential adoption even from overseas

[ScareyCaligulaCorday]

Would agree with you if the father genuinely gave his full and free consent Twiglett, but it's beginning to look like this isn't the case.

Unless he's got another agenda of course...

[LIZS]

I wonder that too Caligula. After all a little goes a long way over there, money talks. Seems to be in-fighting between the father and the PIL's too, who apparently had no say . It is a tragic situation, the mother was 10ish when they married and then they had lost a couple of other children before David. Still not convinced his interests are best served by being whisked away from his homeland into the full glare of western culture.

[FillyjonkthePumpkinEater]

agree with litz

[Callisto]

I am just pleased that it is not as easy to buy a baby in Malawi as it first appeared.

[Blu]

"especially when we know the heartbreak of infertility and joy of potential adoption even from overseas "

That's one way of looking at it, but this child isn't an orphan - he has a family who simply cannot afford to look after him. so "especially when we know the heartbreak of poverty and the joy of potential support, even from overseas'.

I am sure the media furore hasn't helped, but it is surely fair enough to ascertain that the law has been followed correctly? I wish she had suported the family to care for their child, and adopted a child who was a genuine orphan. I wonder what he will feel when he is older and knows that the rest of his birth family are dying in poverty. Mybe she is making arrangements to improve thier situation...in which case, they wouldn't need to have thier child adopted.....

[caroline3]

I agree with you Blu. Also Battymamma had excellent point: if they were so keen to adopt this kid then why could they not hve hung around for a couple more days to take him home. No doubt they had other pressing "work committments". Have not seen Guy R. doing much recently, couldn't he have brought the kid home???

Seems all wrong taking a child who already has a living father just because the father is poor. Aren't there any kids without parents Madge could have adopted??

[NotQuiteCockney]

Adoption is generally seen a bit differently in Africa (from what little I know) - it's often more like fostering, and the child is still aware of his birth family, and has contact with them ...

[LIZS]

but what are the chances of that when he is 1000's of miles away ?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, absolutely.

What I mean is, the expectation of the father, and the family, are going to be different from the expectation of the media, and of Madonna.

[caroline3]

Sounds like this family has just been taken advantage of by people that have a lot of money and influence. Nothing new there.

I'm sure Madonna means well but it all leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth.

[Blu]

NQC - yes. I think it is very possible that the child's family understood something different.

[Blu]

Oh, I don't know. Of course the child is better off living with Madonna than in an orphanage, and she can't solve all the problems of every impoverished family, and plenty of families in the UK have given homes to children from all over the world, why shouldn't Madonna do the same?

[Greensleeves]

I think this whole case is revolting. The child isn't an orphan, he has been separated from his family because of grinding poverty. If Madonna really cared about any of them, she could afford to build the family a new house, or even a whole new village if she wanted to. She's thinking only of herself by taking this little boy, the selfish old cow.

[franke]

I think the second child Angelina adopted also has living relatives - surely this must make the child's future potentially fraught with all sorts of complications and identity issues. I agree with Blu - I wonder why they didn't just support the family or else go 'shopping' for an actual orphan.

[caroline3]

Its the fact that the kid has living relatives that worries me.

I don't have a problem with adopting genuine orphans and obviously Madonna can't be expected to solve the problems of the world!! It just feels like she is "buying" a cute looking baby to add to her collection.

[Greensleeves]

Obviously Madonna can't be expected to solve the problems of the world. But I think it's reasonable to suggest that she could have used some of her obscene fortune to help with some of the problems of the people whose lives she is so flippantly meddling in.

[caroline3]

I agree. Perhaps she could send Guy out there as a good will ambassador?

[Blu]

But I wonder how many children from China also have living relatives, for e.g? And certainly i thnk a lot of Rumanian 'orphans' had known mothers? For an ordinary person adopting from an orphanage, it's a bit much to expect them to take on the poverty of the country any more than someone who isn't adopting...But if I were Madonna, I couldn't possibly have looked that father in the eye and taken his child overseas.

And she HAS two children...I'm not saying people don't want more, but if she is adopting somply because she wants to do good, it doesn't look as if she has done it the best way. Not when he has a father....

[scarysuejonez]

The vast majority of children placed for adoption have living relatives (including in the UK) - relinquishment is a perfectly valid way for a child to be placed for adoption.

It is relatively unusual though, for a child with a living parent who is still actively visiting the child (I have no idea if this is the situtation here) to be available for adoption.