Legal Definitions - baby-selling

Definition: Baby-selling refers to the act of exchanging money or something else of value for a child. This practice is illegal in all states. However, it is not considered baby-selling if prospective adoptive parents pay for pregnancy-related expenses of the birth mother.

Examples:

• A woman offers to sell her newborn baby to a couple for $10,000.
• A man promises to give a childless couple a baby in exchange for a car.
• A birth mother receives financial assistance from adoptive parents to cover medical bills and other pregnancy-related expenses.

The first two examples illustrate the illegal act of baby-selling, where money or something else of value is exchanged for a child. The third example, however, is not considered baby-selling because the adoptive parents are only providing financial assistance to the birth mother for her pregnancy-related expenses.