Australian actor HUGH JACKMAN has come to the defence of MADONNA - praising the pop superstar for her efforts to adopt a second child from Malawi.

  Jackman has two adopted kids - Oscar, eight, and Ava, three - with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness.

  The X-Men star admits the couple originally wanted to take in a child from Africa or Asia but found the laws in their native Australia too restrictive - so they adopted both of their children from the U.S.

  And he admits he can sympathize with Madonna, who is currently fighting for the right to welcome three-year-old Mercy James into her family, because there is so much heartache involved in overseas adoptions.

  He says, “I challenge anyone who thinks you adopt a kid for a publicity stunt. Any parent knows that would have to be the most intensive publicity stunt in the world. I am sure she is coming from a good place.

  “There are 130 million orphans in the world - who is looking after them? If you are a citizen of the world, on some level they are all our responsibility.

  “And if you have got parents who want to adopt and there are children who need a home, it seems like a no-brainer.”

  Madonna’s request for an interim adoption of Mercy James was turned down by a court in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe last month (Apr09). Her appeal hearing is scheduled for Monday (04May08).

  She is already mother to Rocco, eight, Lourdes, 12, and three-year-old David Banda whose adoption in Malawi was finalized in 2008. (WENN/LR/WNWCAAB/ZN)