The Problem of Illegal Adoption

Illegal Adoptions Illegal adoption is a topic that is rarely touched in today’s society. Illegal adoption, also known as baby trafficking, is now a lucrative business in certain Latin American, European and Asian countries. When adoption is the root of a conversation, people seldom mention or ask about what the legal process was to obtain the child. They ask about the sex and where in the world the baby is coming from. But, one would rarely ask if they had to pay for the baby, or if the biological mother knew they were giving their child up for adoption. Families are too poor, need money, and want their babies to have better lives. Families are willing to do anything to get a child, especially if they cannot have children of their own. Illegal adoptions make it easier for these desperate people to get children. It also allows them to avoid the long adoption process. People are kidnaping children and selling them for large amounts of money. Because women are desperate for money, they get pregnant to sell babies and make money. Illegal adoptions should be banned because mothers are losing children that they never wanted to give up for adoption. Also mothers are giving up their children so that they can have money. The government is aware of this and they are doing nothing to help. Illegal adoptions develop from the kidnaping of children, payments to mothers who rent their wombs, buying the babies from very poor mothers, and tricking mothers into signing adoption papers (“Factbook on Global…”). Majority of the women are illiterate and do not realize that the contracts that they accepted gave permission to give up their babies. Mr. Harris stated “some of them couldn’t even sign their names. They just put their thumb prints.” (Mistry 1) Some agents promise pregnant women free antenatal care and a place in the hospital for the birth of their children. Most of these children are destined to go to the United States and Europe. After signing papers agreeing to the care