BABIES AS COMMODITIES

Abstract

The dimensions of global trade between rich and poor countries—certainly a direct consequence of current globalization—have both transcended traditional state boundaries as well as transformed anything and everything into objects of trade and commerce. That human beings have been used as commodities is familiar in human history: witness slavery and prostitution. However, the extension of this regrettable phenomenon to babies is one of the most objectionable aspects of our new global form of life and thought. What started as a generous movement of international adoptions, with well-meaning motivation and intentions, has deteriorated into a capitalistic profit-making venture in which babies are no more than the means of maximizing profits. In this chapter we endeavor to pose, and answer, queries about the ethical implications of the tragic move from adoption to baby commerce.