Also, there are plenty of children that need to be adopted.
What exactly do you mean? I hope you clarify this...
Wow. I was just thinking about this today, too, when I happened to see an advertisement for this site:
http://www.adoptuskids.org/Ignore the really dumb article about a family that preferred to not try for a biological child so that they could adopt. That's not, obviously, the Christian perspective (regardless of what these people think is Christian). Never-the-less, adoption is an option for those who can't have children, or can and would like to also adopt. There are TONS of children in the United States that never grow up in a family! It never ceases to amaze me how the government doesn't make it a point to make the general public aware of this continuing crisis. Tons of children fall through the cracks of the social service system in ways you wouldn't believe. A few who are very lucky get to stay in foster homes --- some good, some not-so-good --- but some go from foster home to foster home, and even stay with their social workers, or worse -- in apartments/homes where tons of kids are left (and the social workers "check" on them supposedly twice a week, if that), or live on the streets --- which is sometimes not much worse. The kids that have the hardest times finding even temporary foster homes are the african-american and then the hispanic kids, and especially the boys. Also, disabled children are very difficult to place.
It's true that a lot of times these kids come with problems, and perhaps, for that reason, it is better for families already with children to be very careful about adopting foster kids. However, it is worth considering for those married couples who cannot have children.
Here is another link:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/I don't know what it's like in other countries, but there's a tremendous need for children to find homes in the US.
Here's a link on related US statistics:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/statistics/adoption.cfmJust reviewing foster care stats from '98 to '03* (*the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services doesn't usually give trends over recent years), more children are being left in foster care (more often willingly by their parents), and children are staying longer in foster care. I guess this isn't at all surprising, with the increase popularity of contraception and abortion, and all the moral tragedies contributing to this culture of death.
Oh, and the statistics are just that, statistics. They are only as good as how they were gathered and reported, and unfortunately, the entire social service system in the US is pretty defective. It is the exception and not the rule in practice for state social workers to not report abuse of children by foster parents, and many times these kids go from one broken home to another. It's sad but true, but there are many foster parents that are in it to make a buck and/or are just really abusive parents. There was this one story I remember about a boy out in KC, Missouri whose foster family had a great reputation, however, an elderly religious sister that gave some assistance to the boy detected something was amiss. (The nun had become close friends with the boy.) She tried reporting it but to no avail. She had tried to continue to remain in touch after working with him several months. Eventually she lost contact with the boy and his foster family until one day she heard the news: he had been found dead under the stairs in the foster family's basement --- bound and gaged with duck tape (it was later determined that he died from suffocation after choking on his vomit). The boy was 8 years old. Just about 2 months later the religious sister passed away from flu-like symptoms (heart break, really). The foster parents first tried to say they weren't responsible, then it came out that they were disciplining the boy, because he was out of control, and they had no other choice but to restrain him with rope and ducktape. (This was only a few years ago.)
Now, I know this is an extreme example, but I know for a fact social workers hold a blind eye to the care foster parents give the children in their care. I read an article about this years ago in Time magazine ('97) and then they did a similar article years later. Besides this, I knew kids who were in "the system", and some of the things I alluded to I saw with my own eyes --- kids living in groups on their own in apartments in the slum areas, sliding "doors" with instead of doors taped with plastic to keep out the drafts. (Kids entered from the hole.) They were supposed to have two guardians assigned to them, but they hardly ever showed up. I mean, these kids ranged from 8 to 17. Meanwhile, these "gaurdians" are making money for supporting each of these kids. Sure, the money is supposed to go to the support of the kids, but it doesn't always. (This isn't even that bad of a story compared to others of which I know.)
On the flip side, I recently met a family that adoped a quadrapelegic child with also learning impairment. These Catholic parents seem wonderful, and the mother often takes the boy to Adoration. I'd met them only 2 weeks after they had brought him home, and already the boy was infatuated with our Lord's True Presence. (He wasn't Catholic before they brought him home.) They have other children, and they interact very well with him, especially the youngest. It is a really wonderful sight.