In 1988 there were 3.3 families looking for every adoption that was finalized. By 1995, there were 6, according to the National Survey of Family Growth. But red tape makes it difficult to pry those children loose. In addition, surveys consistently show that most adoptive families want healthy infants. Two thirds of foster care kids are at least 5 years old, and many have physical or emotional handicaps.
Race also plays a role.
At the same time, the number of white infants placed for adoption has dropped, as single white women join black women in choosing to keep their children. A 1996 federal law makes it illegal for agencies to refuse to place a child with parents of another race, and transracial adoptions are on the rise, with celebrities such as Rosie O'Donnell adopting mixed-race children. But in 1998, only 15 percent of adoptions from foster care were transracial or transcultural. The discrepancy between supply and demand has escalated adoption prices. That kind of unaccounted-for money can't help but draw in a few people with less than pure intentions.