[JPhillips]

Russia has a long history of fetal alcohol problems in adoptees. However, any reputable agency is going to tell parents that before they even begin any formal process. I'm sure the child in question was difficult to handle, but this is the commitment you're making when you decide to adopt a child of that age. Even if there was a valid reason to terminate the adoption, the way it was handled is unforgivable.

As for domestic adoption, it's a very difficult process. Birth mothers pick the adoptive parents and it can create a very negative atmosphere where perspective parents are competing with each other. Most of the time the birth mother is a teenager who is drawn to pretty faces and large bank accounts. It's possible to get a child within months, but it's also possible to wait years and still never be selected. Given the age of the Russian child adopted I would guess that the parents were older or had a medical condition that would have made domestic adoption a very dicey proposition.