Madonna and Adoption

What do I think? I feel compelled to comment on her state of affairs right now because I have dedicated this blog to adoption. People do ask me my opinion of celebrities like Madonna and Angelina Jolie. Here is my three cents worth.

I am absolutely not opposed to celebrities adopting. Why? Because it gives great publicity to the whole adoption world. Remember, adoption used to have a dark, secretive side to it not so long ago. There is a stigma, especially among those considering adoption, that adoption is worse than having an abortion. Obviously I strongly and vehemently disagree with that. If perfectly chiseled cheek-bones Angelina Jolie can adopt children and show that the stereotype is false, then do it!

Yes, celebrities most likely get special treatment when it comes to adoption. They always get special treatment. I am sure their name gets rushed to the top of any kind of waiting list, etc. I can assure you this, as much scrutiny as celebrities are under, I am sure their legal ducks are in a row for adoption, just like mine are. And it's a small price to pay for the rest of us to get good adoption press.

Madonna.....good Lord, I really try to ignore her, I really do, but she makes it hard.

A few years ago when she adopted her third child from Malawi, I was perturbed. Why? She went into a country that has no formal adoption laws, bulldozed her way into the legal system that was unprepared for her and her "presence", cozied up to an impoverished birth father, and got her adoption. Even Angelina Jolie made the very short statement at the time, "I make a point to adopt from countries that have formalized adoption laws." I agree with Angelina.

For the rest of us masses, adopting from a country with no formalized adoption laws is just futility. We would never consider it. And it would cost us our entire life savings just to accomplish it. Madonna has resources that covers all of that.

So, what do I think now? To give the next saga a summary, if you haven't heard, Madonna took a little trip to Malawi again this last week to adopt a little girl she has had her eye on. She wanted to be in England by this weekend so her older children could have their prescribed time with their dad. Just reading the accounts of this little trip, it has the feeling that Madonna looked at this trip to Malawi as though it were an errand. For me, my "errand" to pick up my kids was absolutely stressful and life changing. Nope, with Madonna, we fit it into daddy's visitation. Gag.

I know Madonna sent her people there earlier, cleared out an entire hotel for Madonna's privacy, and prepared herself to pick up her new daughter and come home. Why? Because what Madonna wants Madonna gets, and that is not just my opinion.

Guess what? What Madonna wants Malawi doesn't approve of any more. Malawi has an 18-24 month residency requirement to adopt. That was waived by a starstruck judge a few years ago. It isn't this time, and the law makers of Malawi put the brakes on her little trip to pick up her next adopted daughter.

Here is the link, click here. Madonna left Malawi without the child she wanted.

Lessons learned, dot your i's and cross your t's when it comes to adoption. I think that Madonna needs to be brought down a notch or two in her little bid to think she can just show up and walk out with a country's child. The arrogance is insulting.

How about this? If she wants African children so badly, go to another African country where there are just as many orphaned children? Orphaned by AIDS and disease, just like Malawi. Madonna if you're reading (HA! That makes me laugh just to imagine) let me make a list:

Haiti, Ethiopia, Liberia. All three of those nations are wide open for adoption. What do I mean by wide open? They have formalized international adoption laws. They have an American embassy that is prepared to handle American adoptions. They have a court system that expects Americans to walk in the door and petition for adoptions. In other words, having celebrities like Madonna's show up won't bamboozle them and cause judges to be starstruck. It will have a chain of events that need to happen. This will guarantee a smooth adoption so that both the country and the adoptive family are legally covered.

So, I don't know. Maybe Madonna will go try and adopt from Iceland next. Why do I say that? Iceland has a strict no foreign adoption law. No one from outside of Iceland can adopt their children.

But what Madonna wants, Madonna gets.