Wow... you really are an anonymous coward!
Apparently, you have not tried to "just" adopt a child.
You have no idea of the expense of adopting a child. Adoption can be way more than fertility treatments - 3 times as much in our case.
You have no idea of the humiliation of adopting a child. Did you know they (agencies and birth mothers) look into every aspect of your life? Did you realize they evaluate you based on this partial image of you (there is no face to face early on, if at all)? Sound like prejudice to you?
You have no idea of the potential pain of adopting a child. Luckily, I don't either, but I know there is a waiting period before the adoption can be completed. The reason for the waiting period? Oh, the birth mother can change her mind, and rip the baby from your life. I'm not saying this is right or wrong (or even that it happens a lot), it is just a fact.
You have no idea the hardships it places on a marriage. I do, but it is none of your damn business.
The process of adoption is long and hard. To say, "just adopt the already-existing baby," is just plain offensive. We would have loved to "just adopt the already-existing baby," it ain't that easy. The process is a long test of how good a parent you may be judged by some arbitrary third party; this test may go on for months or years. What test have you ever taken that is as long and arduous with no guarantee of earning a "grade" or even being able to pass?
We would not have been picky. We would have taken a special needs child too.
It's simply not as easy as you (and others) seem to think it is.
Oh, but what do others have to do to become a parent? Many, simply need to have sex at the right time of the month.
Luckily, we eventually were able to have the most wonderful and healthy child in the world (on our own). But to imply that the process of adoption (or fertility treatments, for that matter) is easy, straightforward, and a given is just naive. To think, I was beginning to think there were people on slashdot that may actually have experienced life (outside of their parents basement). Oh well.
(I suppose some day I'll figure out how to separate paragraphs on /. with an extra break, but I am too busy enjoying being a parent)