Something being a noble act does not mean that it is normal, in the sense that it is a common occurence. In fact, the opposite is usually true.

There were just so many abandoned children that there were too few people willing to adopt them. Most people prefer to conceive their own children rather than adopting. Eve of those that want to adopt, they will often conceive a child before feeling ready to go through the adoption process, and few people can afford more than one child.

Different times. GP used present tense.