Black Market Babies
Some people are so desperate to have a child of their own, they will go to any lengths. They often do this out of desperation, only after they have exhausted all other means of conceiving a child or adopting a child legally. They often turn to the black market, where babies are sold at premium prices because they are a commodity in high demand.
The people who sell babies on the black market are called baby brokers. While such dealings aren’t as well known today as in the past, they still take place. Black market babies were often easy for brokers to find in the 1940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s. Families were disgraced by young girls who were not married conceiving a child. The girls were often sent away until after the baby was born. These girls were either told the baby had died during childbirth or they were given up for adoption.
In most cases, the young girls were housed together and well cared for. They got prenatal care and were schooled so that they wouldn’t fall behind when they returned home after the baby was born. However, they weren’t given accurate information regarding the names of the places they stayed or even the adults who took care of them. It is believed the brokers of these black market babies turned heavy profits. They were able to charge room and board from the parents of the young girls as well as sell the babies for very high prices.
It has been very hard for children who were sold on the black market to find their true parents because in many cases the information on the birth certificates were falsified. This is unfortunate for those who want to find their birth families, especially if they suffer from genetic health disorders. It has also been very difficult for those young mothers who did not want to give up their child, or who were told their baby had died when in fact they knew it was a lie.
It is believed black market baby brokering still takes place in some areas. While it is more acceptable in our society for unwed women to bare a child, many of them don’t have the resources to take care of a child on their own. They may choose to sell their child to the broker who in turn sells it to parents so desperate for a child that they will pay any price that the broker sets.
