[Risks of failure of uncontrolled adoption of foreign children].

Four cases of failed adoptions of children from abroad are reported. Risk factors included advanced age of the adopting parents or adoptee and insufficient commitment on the part of the adopting parents who organized the adoption on their own without undergoing counselling. Prevention of adoption failures would require counselling by competent professionals and support groups (e.g., adopting parent groups, competent physicians) and mandatory review of adoption requests by an appropriate commission.