[gjulianm]

I'm adding C: the couple in question wanted to feel important and thought about how nice would they appear in networks if they just adopted a difficult kid, so they did that without really thinking about the kid or even their own wellbeing. So, at the moment motivation ran out they bailed out because it wasn't worth it, but they didn't go in thinking to pass the child after a few months.

In other words, there's a third option other than "malice" and "good intentions": narcissism.

But the most important thing, as the other commenter says: making a public spectacle of the child's situation is the question that's being asked here. And it's an important question because the ability to make a public spectacle might be the difference between some people getting kids or not.