Madonna has defended her decision to adopt a child from outside the U.S. or Britain - insisting her Malawian son David Banda faced death if she hadn't taken custody of him.

The singer has been accused of encouraging people to travel abroad to adopt, at the expense of needy children closer to home.

British child psychologist Professor Ken Browne recently made headlines by dubbing the phenomenon the "Madonna effect."

But Madonna has dismissed Professor Brown as "grumpy" and insists orphans in AIDS-stricken Africa are more needy.

She tells New York magazine, "That's a grumpy person. You know, there isn't an AIDS crisis in England. Yes, there are children that need to be adopted here (in America) and in the U.K., but no one's going to die in an orphanage in America."

-Madonna Pictures

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)