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Madonna 'will be allowed to adopt Mercy'

Date: 2009-06-09
Madonna has convinced three Malawian appeal judges to allow her to adopt Mercy James, according to reports.

By Chris Irvine

A court had previously denied the singer, 50, the chance to adopt Mercy, but two of the judges have allegedly submitted reports recommending the adoption while the third is said be "in complete unison with them".

The ruling is set to be announced next Sunday at Malawi's Supreme Court of Appeal.

 A source told The Sun: "The paperwork is being typed up now.

"All recommendations are in favour of the adoption taking place. Mercy should start packing her bags. She's off to America."

A friend of Madonna's said the singer was "ecstatic", adding: "She made a promise that she wouldn't give up on Mercy and, believe me, she could move mountains when she's this determined."

In a surprise ruling in April, a judge turned down the interim adopting application ruling the popstar could not take the girl to the USA. Malawi's laws state adoptive parents must be living in the country for at least 18 months, so government child welfare officers can monitor them to confirm their suitability.

Despite this, Madonna had been widely expected to succeed in her bid for adoption, having already adopted three-year-old Malawian David Banda. She had been granted an interim adoption for David in 2006 and immediately took him to Britain. The adoption process was completed last year.

Human rights groups have argued that allowing Madonna to adopt the child would encourage trafficking and perhaps even attract Western paedophiles.

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Start packing, she's off to America

Submitted by Kerry on Tue, 2009-06-09 10:49.

"All recommendations are in favour of the adoption taking place. Mercy should start packing her bags. She's off to America."

Uh, wasn't Madonna living in England with one-time husband, Guy?  OH THAT'S RIGHT... now she's in America making news with her new-passion, Jesus.  Boy, following Madonna's living arrangements and whereabouts sure gets confusing, but I guess those judges in Malawi know what's best, especially when it comes to deciding who should take away what child, and why.

BTW... this most recent decision made by Malawi officials wouldn't have anything to do with reports about Madonna planning to adopt elsewhere, would it?

Regarding The Madonna Adoption

Submitted by Kerry on Fri, 2009-06-12 11:55.

I received an email early this morning voicing a popular (yet not always published) opinion regarding Madonna's recent win, a ruling that cannot be challenged:

"Malawi's highest court will on Friday decide whether American pop icon Madonna can adopt a second child from the poor southern African nation, a court official said."
 
Pls Sir or Madam,
Stop the trade in humans & say no to that freaky, Madonna. Stop her from stealing our children.
 
See below:
Madonna was facing growing opposition today to her plan to adopt another African child.
Save the Children, the international children's charity, urged the singer to think again, while family of the toddler she wants to adopt are reported to be fighting her plans.
The pop star, who is 50, has filed papers in Malawi setting out her intention to adopt an orphan called Mercy James, who she hopes to bring to the US if a Malawi court approves the plan. Madonna will reportedly travel to Malawi tomorrow to spend time with the girl and to start proceedings to make the girl legally her daughter.
Three years ago Madonna and her then-husband Guy Ritchie adopted David Banda, then aged 13 months, from Malawi bringing the child to London.
Madonna was harshly criticised over the adoption of her son by children’s advocacy groups who accused her using wealth and influence to circumvent Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption.
Reports that Madonna wants to adopt a girl from Malawi have been circulating for some time. But the first official hint came from the star herself last week.
Lucy Chekechiwa, 61, Mercy’s grandmother, described Madonna's interest in her granddaughter as "stealing".
“Why doesn’t this singer pick other children? It is stealing. I want to go to court, I won’t let her go,” she said.
Mercy has been living in an orphanage and Mrs Chekechiwa claimed it had been agreed the child would go to her when she reaches the age of six.
Mercy’s 18-year-old mother died five days after her birth, according to The Sun.
Save the Children said orphans should be cared for by extended family in their home country and suggested international adoption can make matters worse.
“The best place for a child is in his or her family in their home community. Most children in orphanages have one parent still living, or have an extended family that can care for them in the absence of their parents,” said Dominic Nutt, a spokesman for the charity.
According to Save the Children, international adoption should only be considered if the child is a genuine orphan, and if all other alternatives in their own country have been genuinely exhausted.
“International adoption can actually exacerbate the problem it hopes to solve,” Nutt said. “The very existence of orphanages encourages poor parents to abandon children in the hope that they will have a better life.”
Nutt also said international adoption can mean big business in some countries, with “unscrupulous” adoption agencies profiting from the sale of children.
“We urge any celebrity to set an example, to follow internationally agreed procedures designed to protect the child, and to ensure that the child in question has no other options in their home community,” he said.

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