Just when you thought Madonna was done adopting for good after 1) denying rumors of her intentions to take in two twin girls from Malawi and 2) not expressing much intention in doing so after 2009, when she claimed Mercy James as her own after appealing to a high court upon rejection for not being a resident of Malawi, she goes and shocks the world once again. Of course, this isn’t the first time Madonna’s adoptive tendencies have come under fire. It was with her first adopted Malawian child, David Banda, in 2006, that Madonna drew public vitriol–even from Malawians themselves–as it was suggested her motives weren’t pure, that she was merely riding on the humanitarian coattails of the likes of Angelina Jolie.
But here we are in 2017, well after the celebrity “trend” of adopting African children has passed, and Madonna had the opportunity to let her two current Malawian children out into the world and enjoy some much needed solo time sans any kids to raise. Yet, instead, she’s decided to take on the challenge of two more children, twin sisters Esther and Stella, each aged four years old. Once again, Madonna’s actions have been met with cynical scrutiny, the skeptics still accusing her of somehow impure intentions. However, what could be purer than wanting to give a home to two children whose mother died within the first week of their birth?
The judge overseeing the case, Fiona Mwale, apparently probed Madonna with a series of uncomfortable questions to test just how committed to the cause of motherhood she is. At this point in her life, it seems Madonna is well-attuned to the role of nurturer. Moreover, at a time in America when we need the type of “children of the future” who will be well-spoken and well-educated (especially in the face of Betsy DeVos appointment as the current Secretary of Education), Madonna’s resources for raising two eloquent and tolerant children really can’t and shouldn’t be denied or argued against.
