Madonna Awaits Decision On 2nd Adoption

(CBS/AP)  Madonna is courting cameras and controversy in Africa once again as she awaits a decision on the adoption of a second Malawian child, CBS News correspondent Richard Roth reports.

The pop star was told in Malawi today, she'll have to wait a week to learn if she'll get permission to adopt a 4-year-old girl.

Madonna is receiving criticism from a well-known charity, which says the world's children can't all be saved by moving them to Madonna's house.

Save the Children is urging Madonna to reconsider her adoption plans. Sarah Jacobs, the charity's spokesperson for Africa says, "we believe very strongly that children are much better looked after, even if they've lost their parents, within their home communities."

A welfare official and another person involved in the case said Madonna hopes to adopt a child whose mother died soon after her birth. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

The one adoption case on Monday's court docket listed only the child's name, Chifundo James, which means "Mercy" in the local language.

Court official Thomson Ligowe confirmed that Madonna's adoption application has been adjourned by the court until the end of the week.

The 50-year-old appeared in court Monday and left about an hour later. It was not immediately known whether any of the girl's relatives were present.

Children's advocacy groups have accused her of wielding her immense wealth and influence to circumvent Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption.

According to an official in Malawi, connection to family is a key test for measuring Madonna's fitness to adopt a child from the country.

The argument has been made that celebrity, fortune, and connection to power have helped the singer skirt the rules, reports Roth.

With her divorce from moviemaker, Guy Ritchie, Madonna's family situation has changed since she adopted David, a Malawian child last year.

If the controversy is an issue for her, she's not conceding it, at least not publicly. To a reporter asking if she understood public reservations about going back to Malawi to adopt again, Madonna answered simply, "no."

Madonna first travelled to Malawi in 2006 while doing charity work and filming a documentary on the devastating poverty and AIDS crisis there. Her Raising Malawi organization, founded in 2006, raises funds to fight poverty by providing food, shelter, education and health care for children here.

The U.N. estimates that half of the 1 million Malawian children with one or no parents was orphaned by AIDS, and that the virus that causes AIDS has infected 14 percent of adults here.

[realnews12]

Scientists by the droves are all coming to the conclution that the universe is a scientific, organized reallity and only could have been created by design.

Posted by oldtimer1941 at 9:58 AM : Mar 30, 2009

This is SO not true. Just not true. The overwhelming majority of scientists are atheists. People who talk about "intelligent design" are not scientists, even though a few of them pretend to be because they think it gives them extra credibility.

[displeased]

My question has allways been where did the materials for the big bang come from? Must be a creator. Many enlightened scientists believe that. I believe in science, why not. But I believe GOD created science.
Posted by oldtimer1941

But that's the thing, when people don't know the answer to something that is too complex to understand, they claim it must be god. But nobody has a realistic clue who this god is, other than writings and claims derived by humans. But I'm hopeful that as technology grows, we'll gain more evidence and answers.

[displeased]

Thats pretty clear to me. If you want to be politically correct and accept snakes, graven images, and other sorts of diety then go right ahead, at your own peril I might add.
Posted by oldtimer1941

I don't accept any religion. I'm strictly into science. That is my belief and it is just that, a belief, not absolute knowledge. I'm not going to claim the scientific theory is the correct and only way and that all others are wrong. The scientific theory makes more sense to me but it is not perfect and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. And by the way, who exactly told you the quote "I AM THE LORD THY GOD AND THOW SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME."?

[displeased]

honestabe: Really, who's really been duped?
Posted by oldtimer1941

I think the ones that have been duped are those who believe their god is the absolute one and only truth and that all others are false. I respect the folks who can admit that humans aren't capable of knowing how we became to exist or what happens after life. Everybody has their ideas and beliefs, but to teach their belief as the unquestionable truth is illogical.

[honestabe8]

"She is disgusting, immoral..."
Posted by adek1

I am no fan of Madonna, but who the F are you to determine who is moral and who isn't? Have you ever met her? Sat down for a heart to heart with her?

[bumpedoff1]

That old thing needs to stay in africa

[adek1]

She is disgusting, immoral, selfish, not to consider adopting a needy child in the US. I say she needs to stay out of our country.

As a CPS worker, who sees the need to adopt in our own country, the hell with her.

[honestabe8]

"honestabe: If you have no faith I can understand how you would think that what ever you want to do is OK." - Oldtimer

Oldtimer: I did not say that anything I want to do is okay. I will conform to (most of) society's mores and be good to my fellow man. I just don't need the threat of enternal damnation, or the promise of salvation from what can be seen to be a mean, petty, god. If this is the person you want to worship, have at it. If you insist on misrepresenting what I say, you just show your argument to be weak. And you need to rely on platitudes about giving his son to pay for the "sins" of mankind. My gosh, can you be any more frigging duped?

[honestabe8]

err....that was "no discernment"

[honestabe8]

oldtimer: you speak as if i have discernment as to what is right and wrong. that is not the case.