Madonna's Adoption Attempt Fails

04/03/09 12:09pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Madonna's petition to adopt a second child from Malawi was rejected by a judge today (Friday).

Madonna flew to the southeast African country this week to try and adopt three-year-old Chifundo James, whose first name translates as "Mercy" in English. But Judge Esme Chombo, a judge in Malawi's capital of Lilongwe, said prospective parents must live in Malawi for 18 to 24 months before they can adopt a Malawian child.

"The decision came down to residency requirement and the fact that the judge believes she was being well taken care of in the orphanage," Zione Ntaba, a spokeswoman for the Malawi Justice Department, told CNN.

"For the Malawians, the fact that the child is at an orphanage, is being taken care of and is going through the school education system, that does qualify as the best interests of a child."

Madonna had filed a petition that said James' mother died soon after she was born and her grandmother was unable to take care of her.

"I am able and willing to securely provide for Chifundo James and make her a permanent and established member of my family," the singer wrote in the petition. "To deny Chifundo James the opportunity to be adopted by me could expose her to hardship and emotional trauma which is otherwise avoidable."

Madonna has three other children — Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight, and three-year-old David Banda, a Malawian boy she adopted in October 2006. The adoption was the subject of considerable debate, considering Malawian laws then banned adoption of children by non-residents.

That rule was waived and Madonna was allowed to take David Banda to London, England with her in 2006. His adoption wasn't finalized until last year.

Madonna's attempted adoption of James drew fire for the same reasons as her first one. Many accused her of using her celebrity status to seek special treatment. Others, like U2 singer Bono, have supported her and have said she's helping alleviate the poverty of Malawian children.

Ironically, Madonna first flew to Malawi in 2006 to help build an orphanage with the Raising Malawi initiative, a non-profit group she founded with The Kabbalah Centre's Michael Berg to help alleviate the poverty of Malawi's orphans.

You can see Madonna here:

July 4-5 London, England @ O2 Arena
July 7 Manchester, England @ Manchester Evening News Arena
July 9 Paris, France @ Le Bercy
July 11 Werchter, Belgium @ Festivalpark
July 14 Milan, Italy @ San Siro
July 16 Udine, Italy @ Stadio Friuli
July 19 Marseille, France @ Stade Velodrome
July 21 Barcelona, Spain @ Olympic Stadium
July 23 Madrid, Spain @ Vicente Calderon
July 25 Zaragoza, Spain @ Recinto De La Feria De Zaragoza
July 28, 30 Oslo, Norway @ Vallehovin
Aug. 2 St. Petersburg, Russia @ Palace Square
Aug. 4 Tallinn, Estonia @ Tallinn Song Festival Ground
Aug. 6 Helsinki, Finland @ West Harbour
Aug. 8-9 Gothenburg, Sweden @ Ullevi Stadium
Aug. 11 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Parken Stadium
Aug. 13 Prague, Czech Republic @ Chodov Natural Amphitheatre
Aug. 15 Warsaw, Poland @ Bemowo Airport
Aug. 18 Munich, Germany @ Olympic Stadium
Aug. 20 Ljubljana, Slovenia @ Hippodrome
Aug. 22 Budapest, Hungary @ Kincsem Park
Aug. 24 Belgrade, Serbia @ USCE Park
Aug. 26 Bucharest, Romania @ Parc Izvor
Aug. 29 Sofia, Bulgaria @ Vasil Levski Stadium