Madonna’s adoption petition denied by Malawi officials

fp_2046166_barm_madonna_033

Madonna won’t be bringing Mercy to her favorite Kabbalah center after all: reports this morning say that the singer’s petition to adopt a three year old girl named Mercy James was denied by the Malawi high court. Court sources explained that Madonna made no attempts to comply with Malawi adoption laws, and that the girl’s living relatives begged for her to stay in the country so they could see her.

Madonna’s application to adopt a second child from Malawi has been rejected, according to court sources.

The pop star will not be allowed to adopt three-year-old Mercy James, ruled the High Court in the capital, Lilongwe.

Court registrar Ken Manda said the singer’s bid to adopt the girl – previously believed to be aged four – had been rejected because Madonna is not a resident of Malawi.

The case has stirred up controversy in the tiny, impoverished African nation where some human rights campaigners have accused the 50-year-old of child “kidnapping”.

They claim she has used her fame and money to by-pass the official adoption procedures.

Madonna, who was not in court for the ruling, can appeal to Malawi’s Supreme Court.

The residency rule was waived in 2006, when she adopted another Malawian child, David Banda.

She was allowed to take the boy, now aged three, to London before his adoption was finalised in 2008.

David is accompanying Madonna on her visit to Malawi, along with her other children Lourdes, 12, and eight-year-old Rocco.

It is not clear why Judge Esme Chombo has ruled differently today. Another judge had handled Madonna’s previous adoption case.

However, when she adopted David, Madonna was still married to British film director Guy Ritchie.

Their divorce was finalised earlier this year and she was adopting Mercy as a single mother.

On Monday, the US singer attended an hour-long hearing in the chambers of Mrs. Justice Chomba.

In court papers made public today, Madonna said the girl’s grandmother was unable to care for her.

She promised to make Mercy a permanent part of her family and spare her the “hardship and emotional trauma” of life as an orphan.

“She is not skirting any legal issues in her application to adopt this child,” Madonna’s spokeswoman has said.

“She is looking to provide a loving family environment and the best education and healthcare possible for a child who has been in an orphanage since her birth,” said Liz Rosenburg.

The country’s Information Minister Patricia Kaliati has praised the singer for her charity work in Malawi and said she had proved she was a good mother to David.

“Very few rich and famous people can take time to fly all the way to Malawi to support our children. We support her adoption process,” Ms. Kaliati said.

Malawi has a million orphans, as a result of Aids, poor healthcare and poverty. Several charities, including Save the Children, have accused Madonna of setting a bad example.

They said efforts to help orphaned children should focus on keeping the children in their own communities and supporting extended families so they can care for them.

[From Yahoo!]

Madonna certainly didn’t do herself any favors with this latest visit to the impoverished country – traipsing around in couture clothing, being rude to the press, and basically thumbing her nose at the court and the child’s remaining family. I am sure she is used to getting whatever she wants, but this time she didn’t.

I do wonder what will happen to this little girl now. Clearly, she is not in the best of circumstances. Her family had to bring her to the orphanage because they could not care for her. She could have led a life of extreme privilege with Madonna, but chances are good that she would also be largely raised by nannies, and force-fed the Kabbalah religion. She’s be another designer accessory for the star. But some would argue that being a rich woman’s accessory is better than living in poverty with no parents.

Here’s Mercy James. Header photo of Madonna in Malawai on March 30th. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .
mercy21

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

50 Responses to “Madonna’s adoption petition denied by Malawi officials”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. dewdrop says:

    Awesome news!!!!! Go home fugly Madge!!!!!

  2. Nicole says:

    Thank God. At least she’ll know “love”

  3. geronimo says:

    Don’t agree at all re the designer accessory suggestion. I have lots of probs with Madonna but not with her mothering skills or her reasons for adopting, which I still believe are coming from a good place. Her methods, on the other hand, leave an awful lot to be desired. Not sure anyone wins here.

  4. Arvedia says:

    I have to admit I am also happy about the news. Of course Mercy will be deprived of a supremely rich lifestyle, but you only have to look at Madonna to see that luxury obviously doesn´t make anyone happy or even human. You can see the hardness of conceit and inconsideration in her face now. I wouldn´t want the little girl to become her next fashion item.

  5. lilybme says:

    Thumbs up for Madonna for trying to give this child a home and a life where she would be well educated and maybe someday return to her country and improve it.
    Madonna loves her children and she is a good mother. Photos do not lie.

  6. Pufft says:

    I’d like to see the granny stepping up to the plate now.

  7. Linda says:

    If Madonna truly cares about this child – she still can help her by helping her family. But that won’t happen…

  8. Patrice says:

    This is UNBELIEVEABLE to me! Poor Madonna, but even more so, poor Mercy. How tragic that this lovely little girl will now be forced to endure a life in an impovrished orphanage all for the convienience of her biological extended family, so they can ‘visit’ her like ,what, a couple of times a yera? I wonder how the child is going to feel about this decision whwn she is thrust out into the world, penniless at the age of 18. My heart breaks for them all : (

  9. Patrice says:

    This is UNBELIEVEABLE to me! Poor Madonna, but even more so, poor Mercy. How tragic that this lovely little girl will now be forced to endure a life in an impovrished orphanage all for the convienience of her biological extended family, so they can ‘visit’ her like ,what, a couple of times a year? I wonder how the child is going to feel about this decision when she is thrust out into the world, penniless at the age of 18. My heart breaks for them all : (

  10. Patrice says:

    Sorry. (Tried to edit and it was posted twice)!

  11. Alexis says:

    What! Since when have rich white people been barred from buying black people?
    Doesn’t that judge know she is rich and famous?
    THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!
    Do they expect MADONNA to follow protocol, I mean COME ON! Hasn’t she given them enough money? They owe her a child! Why should Madonna have to spend 18 months of her time in Malawi, learning about the people, traditions, and culture? Isn’t the point to save the child from that enviornment, to let her observe from a safe distance the deplorable and inhumane conditions from wich she was rescued?
    Don’t they realize that there is nothing redeeming about the way that they live when compared to our superior culture.
    SAVAGES!
    In all seriousness, THANK GOD FOR THE JUDGE THAT MADE THIS DECISION! This whole ordeal has been SICKENING!

  12. Sara says:

    SERVED!!!

  13. lara says:

    @ all who are “happy” about this decision, pat yourself on your back for being such wonderful human beings.
    You’d rather see a bitch losing than a child having a chance in this world. Truly generous. Now go back to your privileged lives and when going out this evening don’t forget to have a glass of champagne to celebrate.

  14. georgiagrl says:

    Put that Chanel wallet away, and come home to your next man toy. Thank the Lord that poor girl won’t be subjected to Kaballah, and all the stupid dudes she uses to get publicity. I really don’t like to judge folks, but she plays her life out for the lenses to see and us to judge and I don’t like it. She can pay for nannies and help and yes priviledge, but that does not make you a good momma.
    God bless Mercy and all of Malahwi!

  15. Carrie says:

    I too am conflicted. I don’t care much for Madonna and I’m sceptical of her motives. At the same time, if her motives were pure, I feel bad for her but perhaps she’ll learn the lesson that she can’t have everything she wants. I wonder if things would have turned out differently if she’d followed protocol. I too feel badly for the child. Her future is not a bright one and I would be furious and devastated if I someday realized the life I could of led. In this situation it’s unlikely she’ll realize the downside of being Madonna’s kid. But like Linda said, Madonna could still help this child and her family if she wanted to.

  16. georgiagrl says:

    Lara
    Who says our way of life is preferable? Or better? I believe in adoption, I don’t think she’s acceptable as a mother in this case. Like previously stated, Madonna should pay for that child’s upbringing there, IF the adoption doesn’t go through on appeal.
    Peace

  17. heima says:

    the only thing that i can say is that i hope that mercy and the children in her conditions will have the opportunity to be adopted by a loving family, and i don’t care if this family is represented by madonna.
    i don’t like the way she (madonna) handled the issue, without no respect for the protocols and/or the law, but i’m sure in a weird kind of way that she would’ve been a good mother. no matter what gossip blogs or magazines say or if people “root for” madonna or not. this is not important neither interesting, nor smart enough.

  18. anastasiabeaverhausen says:

    I do have mixed feelings BUT it’s just not right to go into a country and act like you are above the laws and essentially buy a child away from their family.

    Adopt a REAL orphan. Adopt from a country that allows you to take their kids out of the country. Give money to countries like Malawi to HELP the families and the community.

    I agree it’s good to adopt, but not ALL adoptions are good.

  19. yadira says:

    Lara: what the hell are you talking about? Just because she has money and wealth doesn’t make her a good mother. Stop being so rudely sarcastic. Alot of people agree that the best humanitarian thing she can do is donate money to these kids and their families so they can provide the support and family stability.

    A couple of million can do wonders for this impoverished country. Madonna can surely afford that. She just needs to dig into her couch cushions for this small feeble amount.

  20. Aaaaa says:

    Linda, you are so right!! Madonna’s actions going forward will reveal her motives absolutely. Im with you that she wont step up to the plate if rejected. Her ego wont allow it. Let them suffer if they wont play ball. Time will tell.

  21. jay_center says:

    Madonna has a big heart and great parental skills. She is inspiration to many people on earth, and she is doing very good things for Malawi, kids. Do you know that all the proceeds from her children books were donated to charity? This is on top all the money she donated yearly for Raising Malawi

  22. Patrice says:

    Lara: I could not agree with you more. When in our society keeping an adult down is more important than helping a child gain, we all lose.

  23. Wow says:

    Not happy about this news much. In the end it just means this child will continue to live inpoverty. There seems to be contrasting reporting as well. I read that the chil’d remaining family was glad that Mercy would have a chance at a better life, and that they signed papers giving consent for the adoption. Now the press is trying to say they had objections. I wish they would report correctly instead of just going with whatever direction they want to portray Madonna in.

    Of course Madonna didn’t do herself any favors by letting her lawyer say no law can stop the adoption and giving pre-adoption parties before anything was confirmed by the judge. If anything, I think that is what nixed this. They didn’t seem to have any problems with her taking David out of the country, so why this time?

    I wonder if Brangelina willl run into the same problems the next time they adopt. This is what happens when these celebrities get a bit cocky. Its a good thing to want to help, but just shut your trap about it until its a done deal. I feel sad for Mercy who was under the impression she was being adopted and now having that hope dashed. I know she’s young, but still… this sucks.

  24. Wow says:

    @Geronimo – I wish I had read your post before posting mine. Your post sums it up for me; “no one really wins”

  25. kiki says:

    she got told NO
    Unbelieveable
    the Western world way of life is not the be all and end all way to live. Madonna has everything the Western English speaking world has to offer Weatlh Fame beauty and look at her she does seem to enjoy herself.

  26. nikky says:

    i think it’s ridiculous that a child has to wait 18 months before being allowed to move into a loving home that can provide for them, but at the same time, thats the law there, and despite what she thinks, Madonna is not above the law.

    If she truly feels a connection to this little girl, wants to be her mother and spend the rest of her life raising her as a part of her family, then spending 18 months (and maybe some of her millions) in Malawi shouldnt be too much of a sacrifice. This is a human life were talking about. Shes a person and if Madonna loves and wants to adopt her, she should do what needs to be done.

  27. kiki says:

    meant to say Mad for all her material things does not look as if there is Joy in her life.
    She is not and has never been the type to do things from her heart
    there is always a self serving manner to everything she does

  28. lisa says:

    The only one that is the loser here is the baby girl. You can’t tell me that she is doing better where she is than if she went home with Madonna. Like her or not, she still can provide better for that baby.

    On a side note, in that first pic you can definitely see all the horrendous work madonna has done to her face. yikes.

  29. Bina says:

    Avera: I think that’s the hardness of cheek implants and botox.

    If Madonna cares for the child, she will make sure that Chifundo wants for nothing in the world, even if she can’t take her to America. She has the $$$ to make sure that happens, and can pay for her education all the way up to Harvard if she wants to.

  30. paranel says:

    You don’t have to “own” the child in order to help. She just did this for all the wrong reasons. She can still help Mercy . Madonna is a very superficial selfish pathetic person and yes, she is rich.

  31. waldemar says:

    poor Mercy. she has to grow up in poverty, with no real change of a good life and future. Glad everybody is so happy about that!

  32. Call Me Al says:

    I agree with the people who say that she can still help the family get on their feet, a way to support themselves!

  33. sarah says:

    I’m sorry but does “orphanage” mean something different in Malawi than in America? If it’s the same, isn’t the point to have a temporary place to take care of children until they find homes? You are really way off base here CB. Designer children? Being “force-fed the Kabbalah religion?” What are you talking about? People who practice their religion almost always teach it to their kids. What’s wrong with that?

  34. Bobby the K says:

    ~

    She can still help this kid and more kids by setting something up so they could be cared for go to school etc.

    Adoption is not the only option to provide a better life for someone.

  35. lola says:

    you will see Madonna’s real colors come out soon. As she is going to completely distance herself from the bastard country that had the nerve to deny her demands after she pumped so much money into them.

  36. Pufft says:

    I’m probably in the minority here, but I completely DISAGREE that Madonna should donate money to the family so that Mercy can cared for. Why?

    First of all, money can only last so long. Secondly, there is no way to account that the money will be used properly or if the child will even benefit frem it at all. Thirdly, I think if she is considering giving money at all to enrich young lives, all orphans at that orphanage should benefit and not only Mercy (why should Madonna have the sole responsibility of one child that the family refused to let her adopt?)

    If the Grandmother, and the family, is in a situation where there is absolutely no way they can care for Mercy (now, in the near future or ever) other than leave her at an orphanage, then they should consider giving her up for adoption so that someone can care for her properly.

    But since they don’t want to do that, it brings me to my last point: Then they should find means to do it themselves and not by extorting money out of someone who is otherwise nothing to the child.

  37. the original kate says:

    i doubt madge feels a great “connection” to the girl…didn’t she just meet her like a week ago? in any case, she has no one but herself to blame for this – she knew the laws there, but she assumed she could throw money at the problem and get whatever she wanted. it doesn’t matter if she agrees with the laws of malawi or not – they are the laws ans should be followed. as another poster pointed out, if madonna really feels for this girl she should just sponsor her to make sure she gets an education, etc. and she can always go visit her. but if madge just sees the girl as an accessory i’m sure she won’t do either, and will look for another kid to adopt and forget mercy. stay tuned…

  38. Pufft says:

    @Kate: And why shouldn’t she find another kid to adopt. Why should she be condemned if she does. Clearly this one’s family doesn’t want her to leave the country, so why shouldn’t she find another child to care of and be a sister to David?

  39. crazy daisy says:

    “If Madonna truly cares about this child – she still can help her by helping her family.”

    I’d have to agree with the above.

    Too bad Mad didn’t get what she wanted but I also have to wonder about the motive to get another kid at age 50. She seems so busy with other activities. Children aren’t kittens. Being a mom is really a full time job. Not a moonlighting kind of gig.

  40. the original kate says:

    @pufft: i have a feeling madge will just move on and forget about this girl. she can adopt another kid or not,it’s her choice, but the reason she didn’t get mercy is because she violated malawi’s adoption rule by not living in the country.if she really had such a connection with this little girl she would have done whatever was required to adopt her, but i suspect she was more of an accessory. i reiterate: madonna has no one to blame but herself for this fiasco.

  41. boomchakaboom says:

    It’s dismaying how many people don’t understand that children end up in orphanges in places like Malawi for entirely different reasons than they do in the US. I’m not wasting my typing fingers explaining the difference; if anyone wants to understand rather than just bitch, they can start with Google.

    If Madonna really wants to adopt this child, she will spend 18 months in Malawi. If she chooses not to, then it’s obvious the court made the right decision.

  42. Pufft says:

    Newsflash Kate, at this stage, no REAL and LASTING connection has been made. She hasn’t been with Mercy long enough to form that kind of bond. Sure, she connected on some level with Mercy out of all the others, but nothing that justifies her putting money on the side to pay for her ‘Harvard’ education (as someone naively commented).

    I also don’t understand the double standards on this post. Mercy should be spared from the life she can have with Madonna, but she and her family should be cared for by Madge’s money. Like I said, if Madge decides to continue supporting charity work in Malawi, it should be for ALL the orphans at that orphanage, not only Mercy.

    And I whole-heartedly agree with Geronimo, I don’t think Madge considered adoption because she wants an ‘accessory’ as many have alluded to. Clearly it worked out so well with David that she considered adopting again.

  43. Pufft says:

    @Boom: I blame the Malawian government for not being consistent. Initially they didn’t have a problem with Madge leaving with David, but now it’s an issue. The problem is that Malawi doesn’t really have adoption laws that cater for foreigners. The 18 months is a trail period that enables officials to do regular check-ups on the potential parents, who are normally Malawian nationals themselves. When Madonna adopted David, they were practically making the rules as they went along for foreigners. They should have approved those laws and make them stick, or ultimately, deny Madge adoption the first time around and stick to their non-existence foreign adoption policy. The African state’s inconsistency just looks bad for the country.

  44. lola says:

    hey pufft I retract my earlier statement, you are not full of hot air, you are full of sh..!!!!

  45. drm says:

    If Madonna truly wanted to help Mercy then ensure she is educated, fed and lives in the best circumstances that can be managed. Help the family to help the child otherwise butt the F out.

  46. the original kate says:

    @pufft: i am tired of you following me around on these threads, pouncing on my every word. it is really bizarre, especially considering lots of people disagree with you but you mainly seem to address your absurd comments to me. so i will say once more: madonna did not follow the rules, and therefore was denied an adoption. if she had followed the rules the adoption probably would have gone through, but she thought she was above the law. that’s her own fault, it is not? this the last time i will address you, as you are unable to have a debate without being insulting and really angry.

  47. Bina says:

    Pufft: What’s naive about hoping that a girl from a poor country can go to Harvard some day? It does happen from time to time, you know…

  48. Pufft says:

    @lola: Hahahahahah…so sue me!

    @Kate: I actually didn’t realise that I had addressed you before you mentioned it. I, of course made it a point to check out which other posts I might have addressed you, and I realized that I addressed you on tow other Madge posts (on the first I of course disagreed with you opinion, and on the second one – about David missing Guy – I agreed with your views on discipline). So perhaps it is by some unfortunate fate that one the three posts you have commented on, I have addressed you as I make it a point not stalk posters on this blog (I don’t take things said on here about me or anyone personally). I also don’t understand why you have singled yourself out, as I have addressed MANY people on different threads. Since this is clearly getting personal to you (and that is honestly not my intention), I’ll leave you be and stop debating with you.

    @Bina: It’s not naive to hope for a girl from a poor country to go to Harvard, what is naive is assuming that Madonna should pay for it after she was flat out denied the opportunity to do so as the child’s mother

  49. lavender1960 says:

    Yikes Madonna looks like the Cat Lady, Joyce Wildestein in the photo.

    Sorry even if the intent is good, I don’t see why Madonna can’t play by the rules like all the other adopting parents without a gazillion dollars.

    If Malawi wishes to change the rules, do so for all potential adopting parents not just mega celebrities.

  50. felicia says:

    um originalkate? Have you ever adopted a child? My husband I just did. We felt connected (and lucky) right away (in UNDER A WEEK I might add).

    Go Madonna!

    .