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Madonna felt instant connection
02/11/2006 13:22 - (SA)
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| Madonna with Lourdes, Rocco and David. (AP) |
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London - Madonna said she would not rule
out adopting another child but first wanted to spend time with
her new baby, David Banda from Malawi.
The US pop sensation also said she wanted the adoption
laws in the impoverished continent to be changed to help
millions of other children escape a life of suffering.
Speaking to the BBC television in an interview broadcast on
Wednesday night, Madonna said she was stunned that her decision
to adopt one-year-old David caused such a worldwide uproar.
"It was quite shocking and there's no way I could have
prepared myself for it," the singer told Newsnight, the BBC's
nightly current affairs programme.
Asked whether she would like to adopt another child,
Madonna, 48, said: "I wouldn't rule it out. I would like it to
not be as complicated in the future, but I would just like to
experience David for a while and see how that works out first."
David shot to worldwide fame after he was plucked from an
orphanage, where he had been left by his father, and flown to
Madonna's London mansion to live with her, her British film
director husband Guy Ritchie and her two children - daughter
Lourdes, 10, and son Rocco, 6.
'A state of emergency'
The chart topper said she and Ritchie, had talked about
adopting for two years.
She became interested in Malawi, a southern African country
hit hard by Aids, and decided to fund a documentary about the
plight of children there.
Earlier this year, while watching footage for the film,
Madonna said she first spotted David and many other youngsters
at the orphanage and felt an instant connection.
The pop star insisted, however, that she did not use her
celebrity status to speed up the adoption process for the boy.
"I can assure you that I was not given any special
treatment," she said, stressing that for now she had only been
granted an interim adoption so was technically a foster parent.
Malawian child rights groups, accusing the government of
breaking the law in granting the interim order to a
non-resident, are challenging the process in court. Final
approval for the adoption order is expected in 18 months.
Madonna said she would like to see better adoption
regulations in Africa to help orphans find new homes.
"I would like to get the adoption laws changed because I
consider what is going on in Africa a state of emergency," she said.
"When you have an entire adult population wiped out and no
one to look after these children, you've got to address the laws
and make adoption easier for people."
In the interview, Madonna also said she offered to support
David and leave him in Malawi, but his father turned her down.
- Reuters
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