It’s been quite a busy 2017 start for the one-time Queen of Pop Madonna, what with her recent resurgence in the spotlight on account of her (easily misconstrued as unpatriotic) speech during the January Women’s March in protest of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Reactions to her sometimes profane outburst have varied in the media, as in the case of radio stations indefinitely banning her songs from airtime. Now, Madonna finds herself a topic in the news with her announcement that she has just adopted a set of twin girls, making her a "new” mother once more.
Then there were six
Madonna went on Instagram Wednesday, February 9 to post a photo of herself and her new adopted kids, twin sisters from the African nation of Malawi where she had once gone before years ago with her children Lourdes (from first husband Carlos Leon), and Rocco (from second husband, Guy Ritchie). She had already adopted from the country before: David Banda and Mercy James and was able to forgo local adoption laws requiring foreigners wanting to adopt to reside in Malawi for at least a year. Madonna's Instagram announcement immediately proved false a statement from one of her spokespersons a mere two weeks ago denying that she was planning to expand her family.
The singer has been charitably involved in Malawi since 2006 when she stopped over in that country while on tour.
An orphanage there was partially funded by her, and that same year Madonna adopted David, with Mercy joining her growing number of children in 2009. Furthermore, while the Queen of Pop’s rep demurred on any potential new adoptions back in January, the Malawian High Court publicized a request filed by the superstar to take in two more children, who have now been revealed to be the twins accompanying her on her Instagram photo.
Asking for a little privacy
Closing on her adoption announcement, Madonna added, "I am deeply grateful to all those in Malawi who helped make this possible, and I ask the media please to respect our privacy during this transitional time."
In addition to funding orphanages and having adopted from there multiple times, Madonna’s latest project in Malawi is a proposed new pediatric surgery ward to be added to the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in their second largest city of Blantyre. Madonna is one of the American entertainment industry’s most prominent adopting parents, whose numbers included the former power couple of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
