Celebrity Adoption

When I heard Madonna was hoping to adopt internationally again, I immediately had my concerns. Some people think such celebrities should focus their attention on adopting within their own country, while others believe the fact that their desire to adopt brings adoption into the spotlight is a positive thing.

In the April 2009 Adoption Council of Ontario newsletter, the Executive Director stated the following concerning the media attention surrounding Madonna’s latest quest to adopt a four-year old girl from Malawi:

Throughout the past week the media has expressed increased interest in International Adoption with the story of Madonna’s failed attempt to adopt a second child. As members of the Adoption community, we are all aware of the challenges of the process – the trials and the tests that one experiences on the journey. It is important to connect with each other and provide support for others touched by adoption. We must also look at opportunities to inform, educate and advocate for adoptive families, birth families and adoptees to ensure that they have the resources they need at every junction along the way.

I agree. We must support all adoptions and all parties involved, however I have my doubts that Madonna has the child’s best interest at heart. Here is what I have heard through the media:  the child has no parents and her uncle purportedly consents to the adoption. The girl lives in an orphanage. Madonna’s lawyer, Alan Chinula, has gone on the record saying the Malawi Human Rights Commission has decided to get involved in the star’s bid to adopt. The adoption was recently rejected by a judge who believes the little girl is being well taken care of in the orphanage. Madonna is apparently fighting the judge’s decision.

The media has also reported that Madonna chose Malawi so her other adopted son who is from Malawi will have a sibling of the same ethnicity. I think that is wonderful. My concern is that these children will grow up as celebrities themselves and that their said ethnicity will be lost. Having a sibiling adopted from the same country does not solve this. Can Madonna ensure these children will grow up knowing everything they have a right to know about their birth families and homeland? According to Welt Online, Madonna’s adopted son has only been back to Malawi once since being adopted in 2006 and that visit was only recently. Suffice to say he apparently did not have much recollection of his birth father or life in Malawi.

While openness in an International Adoption may be more difficult, I feel it is important for children of International Adoptions to have full access to their history and ancestry – if anyone has the means to do this it’s Madonna. Let’s hope she does.