I'm no Madonna fan, but I wonder....

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Stan4dSteph

I think that people with more wealth are able to pursue avenues that others find too expensive given the uncertainty in the process. I don't think this is necessarily any more unfair than any other part of a capitalistic economy.

No, simply paying for better service I don't have an issue with. Completely circumventing certain processes/being offered avenues that aren't even offered to non-celebreties (at any cost) would be...questionable.

[Moonliner]

I agree it's not fair to the prospective parents but is a "fastrack" for the rich and famous a bad thing for the kids?

If Mr. and Mrs. Delight of CA adopt a child that's great for that one kid but if Ms. Ciccone of CA adopts a child it's great for that kid and it makes headlines all over the world. That type of press coverage will probably inspire at least a few people to adopt a child themselves. Win-Win.

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

I agree it's not fair to the prospective parents but is a "fastrack" for the rich and famous a bad thing for the kids?

If Mr. and Mrs. Delight of CA adopt a child that's great for that one kid but if Ms. Ciccone of CA adopts a child it's great for that kid and it makes headlines all over the world. That type of press coverage will probably inspire at least a few people to adopt a child themselves. Win-Win.

Yes, the same people who now carry little kick dogs in their purses because Paris Hilton does. Needy children are needy children wherever they live, but the fact that Madonna and Angelina adopt from abroad rather than from America gives the whole thing an unpleasant whiff of the exotic.

[Alex]

Apparently the newish element of the scandal is that her educational foundation in Malawi will promote kabbalah. I'm not sure why this bothers people (any more than any other religious missionary-ism that goes on in Africa), but then just seeing that teaser was enough to make me change the channel so maybe there was something actually important in the story.

I don't really care, so long as the appropriate people gave consent for the adoption. The people I know who have adopted from other countries (three from Eastern Europe and one from China) did so simply because it was a much faster process than trying to adopt in the United States with much more certainty of success and minimal risk of later intrusion from birth parents.

[wendybeth]

Well, now bio-dad has changed his story, and as much as I am not a Madonna fan, I'm inclined to believe him. Dad changes stance on adoption.

While I mostly agree with SL with regards to exotic adoptions, the thought that this little boy would probably die without Madonna's adopting him makes me think that maybe anything that gets this little guy a chance at a life is alright. He's adorable, as are all little ones, and he deserves a chance every bit as much as anyone in this world.

[MouseWife]

I thought that Madonna was going to make a big contribution to the Malawis? To help build a school or something?

I wonder why, at this stage, is all of the complaining coming about? Obviously it has been in the process for a while.

About the adoption. {and I am only going by what little I've heard} The boy was living in an orphanage? This is something I heard many years ago...

My sister used to go to TJ with her church to the orphanages to tend to the children and the families. See, the families would place the children there because they couldn't tend to them but they were still their parents. Maybe they aren't really called orphanages?

We had been considering adopting a child from there and my husband spoke with a friend from work {who lived in TJ}. He said the kids were not up for adoption. They frowned upon adoption. The parents didn't want to give up their kids, they just couldn't take care of them.

Perhaps this father thought that it would be best for the child for Madonna to adopt him {maybe she did give him money or else just the thought that he would have a better life/he wouldn't have to worry about him any more} but then he got flak from it {like others have mentioned}.

[Isaac]

If anyone's interested, here's an audio clip from Oprah's interview with Madonna.

[Nephythys]

I read it was the UK who had a problem with her adoption- that it possibly had not been done according to UK law?

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Nephythys

I read it was the UK who had a problem with her adoption- that it possibly had not been done according to UK law?

I believe it was the special interest groups claiming that, as far as I've read (which I admit is not much) the UK gov has not had any issues.

[Nephythys]

let me look for the link-

can't find the original link but found this-

Legal experts in Britain have also raised concerns over whether the UK's equally tight criteria regarding foreign adoptions have been met, as the process normally takes between two and four years.

It was something about the group that does the home study not being contacted- though they admit it could have been done privately. But it was not a special interest griup, it was the people who make sure adoptions are done legally in the UK.