It may come as a surprise at first glance that Bermuda saw 22 children placed for adoption last year.

But the fact remains that for various reasons, almost two dozen children need loving homes in any given year, and the number may continue to rise.

The good news is that willing parents take in children and give them homes and loving environments that they would otherwise be deprived of — through no fault of their own.

The bad news, as Tania Theriault reports this week, is that the process is often long and cumbersome, meaning that some children are too old to find willing parents.

One can only hope that some potential adoptive parents will look past the fact that they may be adopting a child who is, say four or five years old, and will recognise that they can give a good live to a child on the verge of entering primary school. It is not too late to have many fulfilling years with a child, and to give that child a good home, even if the parents forsake the dream of bringing home an infant in their arms.

Nonetheless, there must be ways to ensure that the children get a stable and beneficial home life earlier in life.

According to the Department of Family and Child Services, new adoption legislation which would streamline the process is now being considered. It should be prepared and drafted as a matter of urgency.

That does not mean that potential parents should not be vetted and overseen. They should, and clearly it is essential that adoptive children must go to good homes. But it defies logic that this process should take years. No one wins in those circumstances.

At the same time, some consideration should be given to the pros and cons of allowing non-Bermudians who wish to adopt Bermudian children to do so.

There may well be concerns this could be used as way to get permanent resident status in Bermuda through a loophole in the immigration laws. And there is some risk that the child would be removed from the land of his or birth if the parents left the Island.

The alternative is to see Bermudian children eligible for adoption being denied the chance of a good home, and therefore ending up in foster homes until they reach adulthood.

Most, if not all, foster parents and foster homes are well meaning and dedicated. But being in a foster home is by definition an impermanent and uncertain life, while adoption is permanent and sure.

If nothing else, this week's series should let prospective parents know that there are many children out there who need homes.

The anecdotal evidence suggests that infertility and/or difficulties with conception and carrying a baby to term are increasing, especially for couples who marry when they are in their 30s or older.

Instead of pursuing expensive fertility treatments that carry no guarantee of success and can be emotionally difficult, some of these parents should at least consider adoption.

The parents in today's story were having difficulties conceiving a second child and could have pursued a medical solution. Instead: "We decided there were so many children out there who needed parents, that we should really go out and adopt one."

And the mother added of her daughter: "People always say we've done such a wonderful thing for her. The way I see it, is that she is a blessing for us. To be able to love her and have her with us."

Doesn't that say it all?