A British children's charity has urged Madonna to rethink her planned adoption of a baby girl from the impoverished African nation of Malawi. Save the Children spokesman Dominic Nutt said “The best place for a child is in his or her family in their home community."
The spokesman added that “the child would be better off staying in Malawi than being brought up by the recently-divorced pop star, who has three other children, including an adopted Malawian boy.”
The singer is reportedly planning to adopt a Malawian girl named Mercy James. Mercy's father is believed to be alive but details of her family are sketchy. ITN reported the girl's relatives have consented to the adoption and Madonna and the girl's uncle are expected to appear in court to sign adoption papers on Monday.
Save the Children argued that foreign adoptions should happen only if a child does not have any relatives, and all other options have been considered.
Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg said that “The singer has in the past used her fame to raise awareness about problems facing Malawi. She made a documentary, I Am Because We Are, which highlighted poverty, AIDS and other diseases devastating the country's children. She also helps run a non-profit, Raising Malawi.”
Liz added “Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie adopted David Banda, now 3, from Malawi in 2006 after helping build an orphanage there. David's biological father still resides in the African country. If all goes according to plan, Mercy will join us”
