Adoption has since seen a wave of changes. Initially, adopting a child as one's own was not an activity that had laws. Adoption practices were abused. Many children and teenagers became servants to their guardians, often forced to perform arduous labor in severely adverse conditions.

It wasn't until 1851 that the first adoption law was passed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, enabling children in destitute conditions to enter homes that, hopefully, were homes that would provide refuge.

There have been several comprehensive studies on adoption in the United States, all of them producing statistics that show just how in flux adoption trends have been over the years:

" In 1970, 175,000 children were adopted in the United States. This is significantly higher than the 1944 total of 50,000 adoptions, but much less than the 2001 total of 127,000

" As of 1999, approximately 2 percent of all U.S. children were adopted

" According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more girls are adopted than boys, which explains why there are more boys than girls in foster care (52 percent, 48 percent, respectively)

" In 1986, there were more instances of adoptions wherein the child was in some way related to the guardians. By 1999, unrelated adoptions were far more frequent (85 percent unrelated adoptions, 15 percent related adoptions, respectively)

" As of 2000, California, New York and Texas have the highest amount of adopted children living in homes (the same three in a 1992 study)

The reasons for adopting are as varied as the statistics, including infertility, death of a loved one, philanthropy, or adoptions by same sex couples. Homosexual couples adopting has come under scrutiny by many lately, particularly within the Catholic community as homosexuality goes contrary to Catholic orthodoxy. Catholic Charities of Boston for instance, no longer participates in the adoption business because by excluding same-sex couples from adopting children, as they have done, violates the states orientation discrimination laws.

Much like the stock market, adoption trends will continue to rise and fall. What has remained constant, though, is the overwhelming number of foster children searching for a loving home.