TRENDS
BLACK MARKET IN BABIES
Editors: JOHN P. HUBBARD, M.D..
BY THE very nature of their specialty pediatricians as well as obstetricians are not infrequently involved in adoption procedures. Childless parents seek the help of physicians in obtaining children for adoption; unwed mothers seek ways through which their babies can be placed in a happy home; unwanted babies become available, but in numbers far too few to meet the demand for adoptions. Ignorance of State law and of agencies established to control adoption proceedings may inadvertently lead to serious consequences for parents and physician—to say nothing of the baby. Adoption is not just the placing of a baby into the hands of a couple who want it. There are recognized standards and regulations which must be observed. Assurance should be obtained that the babies are normal, healthy, and that so far as possible, the characteristics and potentialities of the baby should be matched to those of the prospective parents. Equally important, the parents should be stable and adequate to the responsibilities of rearing the child.
The extent to which proper adoption procedures are neglected or purposefully avoided has recently been brought to light in the public press in a large Eastern city. The question may reasonably be asked whether this situation does not also exist in many other areas throughout the country.
