- Headline: "The Rising Trend of Auctions for Unwed Mothers' Babies in the U.S."
- Subheading: $3,000 Per Child... Adopted Before Birth
- Source: Kyunghyang Shinmun
- Date of Publication: April 29, 1975
- Summary:
As the demand for Caucasian infants surpasses supply, illegal baby trafficking has become widespread in the United States, prompting Congress to launch an official investigation. According to the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Youth, unwed mothers enter into agreements with private agencies, feeding into a growing black market for infant sales. Childless couples seeking to adopt are paying up to $3,000 per baby, with some cases reaching as high as $25,000. In certain instances, prospective parents not only cover legal and medical fees but also provide gifts, financial support for housing and living expenses, and even perks such as all-expenses-paid vacations to the Caribbean. From the aftermath of World War II through the 1970s, Western societies maintained severe social stigma and discrimination against unwed pregnancy and childbirth. As a result, hundreds of thousands of infants born to white (“Caucasian”) unwed mothers were placed for adoption into married households. This period is often referred to as the "Baby Scoop Era." However, with the rise of second-wave feminism in the 1970s, increasing numbers of unwed mothers chose to raise their children rather than relinquish them. This shift contributed to the emergence of a black market for child trafficking while simultaneously driving a rise in intercountry adoption.
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