The Toronto Star
March 29, 2009
Today, Madonna confirmed her plans to adopt a young Malawian girl. A spokesperson recently told the press that Madonna is indeed following the regular channels for adoption, rather than using her fame to "jump the line" and receive preferential treatment as many have accused her of doing. For the first time since her 3-year-old adopted son, David, left Malawi in 2006, she took him to visit his biological father. Another of Madonna's spokespeople told the press that she will "..always be committed to maintaining an ongoing relationship with David's Malawian family and roots". Madonna has been in the African nation this past week, touring the country and visiting the day care center supported by her charity, with her adopted son David, 12-year-old daughter Lourdes, and 8-year-old son Rocco. The main aim, however, as reported by the press, is to adopt the 4-year-old Malawian girl named Chifundo "Mercy" James. An adoption application has been said to be under way according to a Malawian welfare official. He referred to the need for relative "anonymity", given the sensitive nature of the case. The young girl's biological mother, who was 18 at the time of the child's birth, was unmarried and died soon after Chifundo was born. Her father has little contact with his daughter, but is said to be alive, nevertheless. Madonna has been critized by many NGO's for her recent adoptions of Malawian children. They have said that adoption should merely be a last resort for children, and that the child should be taken care of by her biological family if at all possible. On the other hand, people have said that this adoption would give immense opportunities to the child, which she would otherwise be unable to have, living in the impoverished nation of Malawi.
In my opinion, this issue is multifaceted and controversial. There are certainly two sides to the argument as to whether Madonna should or should not adopt this child. While it is clearly in the child's best interest to be cared for by her own family in the cultural context that she was born into, one can make the argument that being adopted into a loving and caring family with greater resources cannot truly be wrong. People can argue against the morals and ethics of the situation, but I believe that Madonna should have the right to adopt "Mercy" James if the child's own family cannot care for her appropriately. She is committing an act of kindness and selflessness, changing the young girl's life forever. While people say that she is doing this for her vanity, reputation, and because it is merely a celebrity trend, I believe that this is a cynical view. She is giving the young "Mercy" a home to live in with resources to have a much better lifestyle and quality of life than she would otherwise have, living in the impoverished nation of Malawi. The opportunities for this Malawian girl are now immense. In a statement released to the press, Madonna's lawyer commented on the significance of the Malawian court decision approving this adoption by Madonna when he said,"It is a positive and beautiful judgment that will have an impact on Malawi’s adoption laws." (http://foreverparents.com/2008/05/madonnas-adoption-approved.html) Only time will tell if these intercultural celebrity adoptions will truly result in a healthy and well adjusted child, but from what we have seen so far, these adoptions have been life-altering and beneficial for the adoptee. The celebrity adoption controversy can be compared to the controversy that surrounds charitable and outreach endeavors by the wealthy even in our own community. Many have stated the cynical claim that the well-off in our society seek to assuage their guilt by donating money to the poor as a means of gaining politically correct status. They see that some try to keep up with their neighbours or outdo them by donating more or by sending their children to more outreach opportunities in order to raise their status in society. I believe however that one cannot be so cynical when it comes top acts of selflessness or charity. Regardless of the motive one can argue that in the end the underprivileged do benefit. Also one can argue that on the journey to donating your time or money, many will truly experience the underlying virtue of giving to your fellow man. The journey of self-discovery comes in many forms and we cannot be so self-righteous ourselves that we reject acts of kindness whatever the underlying motivation or form.
2 comments:
Madonna, is using her fame to skip through loopholes in the adoption system is completely unacceptable. In personal experience, my Aunt had tried to adopt a child from Africa around a year ago, but because she was single, the adoption agencies would not let her adopt. She had followed the whole process legally and fairly, and was stricken with much grief at the end. But Madonna can adopt a child, because she is able to afford nannies, when she is never home because of all the time being famous takes away. The nannies will be the real mothers, but Madonna never will. People should see that she is merely doing this for the fame rather that the goodwill that is attached. Although Mercy will be given a better life, Madonna should not be credited because she is relocating Mercy rather than being a mother.
Good Blog though. Very thorough
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