I believe that in the uk, you have to be an approved adoptive parent even if the adoption was done abroad. I am not sure whether madonna has gone through this.

Also, i read over the weekend that the father, after initially being all for the adoption, has said that he didn't realise that it meant him giving up all parental rights, and basically not being the childs father any more. If he had known he said, he wouldn't have approved it.