A Teenager Sells Her Baby On Facebook And It’s Sadder Than You Think

facebook-baby

I know Mark Zuckerberg is all about changing the world and connecting everyone via the wonders of Facebook, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t what he had in mind: Veronica Carrera Chaparro, a teenager in Chile was recently arrested for selling her unborn child via Facebook. Imagine if you saw “Fetus for sale” on your newsfeed!

Veronica was arrested along with her mother and sister, who reportedly helped her with the sale. In February 2013, when she found out she was two months pregnant, she told her boyfriend and asked him to keep it a secret. He told her family, though, and her 42-year-old mother Angela Chaparro, and 24-year-old sister Daniela Perez reportedly gave her three options: Sell it, abort it, or give it up for adoption.  Ouch.

Veronica chose to sell the fetus on Facebook. Exactly how this was accomplished I don’t know, but I would love some details. Was it put up in Facebook Marketplace (Does that still exist?) Did Veronica just post a status saying “I’m pregnant and trying to sell my baby?” Did anyone else notice this was going on and find it unusual or illegal? How did this fly under Facebook’s radar? I’m assuming the mother and sister were involved in the selling but still, so many questions.

Veronica found a couple interested, but they couldn’t agree on a price. Eventually, another family who also lived in Santiago contacted Veronica and agreed to pay the child’s formal registration fees, along with a fee to Veronica. The baby was born on November 4th and the buyer paid the registration fees the day after.

Veronica ultimately received about $112 for her baby. She was recently arrested and appeared in court on Santiago on Sunday. The buyers of the baby were also detained and will appear in court soon.

Ugh, what a sad situation. It sounds like the baby eventually got to a home where it was wanted, but still. I’m interested to see if Chile will put the baby into state custody or let it stay with the buyers. I mean, even though they wanted the baby, they’re still criminals, right?

And Veronica! Nothing I read indicated her socieconomic background, which could have played a large part in her family’s encouragement to sell her child. And even though her actions were clearly morally questionable, I still feel for her, especially since it sounds like she was coerced into making the decision to receive money for her child. This teenager obviously didn’t have any support from anyone around her. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be scared, pregnant, and forced to give up your baby.

A judge, Ernesto Silva, said the situation was very serious, but he also said that the case could prove complicated, since it’s “not a crime to offer over the internet the delivery of a newborn, even though financial compensation is offered.”

Photo: Getty Images

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