Jewish Americans, like Americans in general, have various motivations for adopting children. Some couples adopt for altruistic reasons–to give homes to older children or children with disabilities. Single people, as well as gay and lesbian individuals and couples, are more likely to try to adopt than in the past, as adoption agencies become more open in their policies. But the reason for most contemporary adoptions–Jewish and otherwise–is a married hetero***** couple’s inability to have a child. About 15% of all couples in the United States have some kind of infertility problem–defined as the inability to achieve or sustain pregnancy after one year of well-timed, unprotected sex. Adoption experts assume the infertility rate is higher among Jews, who tend to postpone marriage and childbirth. Because of the emphasis Jews place on family, their relatively high socioeconomic status (adoption can get expensive), and this presumed higher rate of infertility, Jews are considered a population likely to pursue adoption. Cleveland jewish