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Madonna tells
Oprah about controversial adoption

Madonna tells
Oprah about controversial adoption

Madonna said the 13-month-old boy she plans to adopt from the African country of Malawi is healthy and thriving in her London home. In an interview that aired Wednesday on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the 48-year-old pop star said David Banda was healthy despite having overcome malaria and tuberculosis. ''David is amazing,'' she said. ''What really surprises me is how great my children are with him and how he's transitioned so easily from living in Africa in an orphanage to living in our house.'' Madonna, who is married to film director Guy Ritchie, has two children: daughter Lourdes, 9, and son Rocco, 6. The 30-minute interview with Winfrey, conducted via satellite from London and taped Tuesday, was the first time she had spoken in depth about the adoption, which has been challenged by human rights groups that allege the singer used her fame and fortune to flout Malawi's adoption laws. ''If only my wealth and my position could have made things go faster,'' Madonna said. ''I assure you it doesn't matter who you are and how much money you have--nothing goes fast in Africa.'' Typically, prospective parents are required to stay in the southeastern African country during an 18-month evaluation period, but the judge who granted the interim custody order said the issue of residence is not specified in the law. A hearing on a lawsuit challenging the government's decision to allow Madonna and Ritchie to begin adoption proceedings was scheduled for Friday in Malawi. Winfrey, whose talk show is based in Chicago, praised Madonna during a lunchtime appearance at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. ''What's happening to her right now, being attacked for trying to save a life, I believe is both shameful and ridiculous,'' Winfrey said. (AP)

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