Madonna landed in Malawi on Sunday in hopes of adopting 4 year old Mercy James, whose mother died shortly after giving birth to her. Madonna wants to give her first adopted son David a sister from the same country that he was born in. Mercy is living at the Mchinji Home of Hope, the same orphanage where David was living before being adopted. Before appearing in court for the matter, Madonna took a tour of a Malawian village, and talked of plans to build a school there. Accompanying her on this trip is Lourdes Leon, her daughter with former flame Carlos. Besides Lourdes, Madonna has a second biological child, Rocco, from her marriage to Guy Ritchie, which ended in divorce in January.

The adoption of little Mercy was halted on Monday where a judge delayed ruling on her application to adopt Mercy until Friday. Her grandmother, 61-year-old Lucy Chekechiwa, is reportedly against Madonna’s decision to adopt Mercy.

Via NY Daily:

“Why doesn’t this singer pick other children? It is stealing,” Chekechiwa told the Telegraph of London, adding that she has an agreement with the orphanage to take Mercy when she turns 6. “I want to go to court. I won’t let her go.”

Madonna was criticized by some when she started adoption proceedings for David in 2006, and the criticisms have started with this adoption, also. Children’s advocacy groups accuse her of using her wealth and influence to get around Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption. They are accusing her of using her status and wealth to bypass the African nation’s laws. “Save the Children UK” charity adds that her second adoption is sending the wrong message, encouraging poor parents “to abandon children in the hope that they will have a better life.” The singer’s 2008 divorce from Guy Ritchie has also upset the children’s charity, “Eye of the Child”. And human rights activists believe that Madonna’s recent split from Ritchie should disqualify her from adopting again.

Per Us Magazine:

“We should never allow our children to be placed into broken families,” Maxwell Matewere, director of children’s charity “Eye of the Child” has said.

“Save the Children” believes that many international adoptions are unnecessary and has urged Madonna to ensure all other options had been exhausted before removing a child from a foreign orphanage. Meanwhile, Madonna’s adopted son David’s biological father, Yohane Banda, reunited with his son Monday morning. Yohane said David asked him lots of questions in English and that the two were able to talk with the help of a translator.

A court-appointed overseer will assess Madonna’s eligibility as a parent, and two reports will be presented before the judge before ruling on the adoption.

So what do you think – will Madonnas adoption go off without a hitch? Maybe the judge will see how she’s too sexually open, and not allow the bed-hopping Madge to place this child within a broken home? Or will he let the adoption go through proving more so that celebrities can adopt whoever they want to and not have to follow the laws?

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Images Via: AP Photos