Baby 'auction' draws fire
- Source: Global Times
- [04:18 October 16 2009]
- Comments
By Xu Shenglan
Internet users were outraged that a man tried to find people to adopt his infant niece by making a post on a popular website, Guangzhou-based New Express reported Thursday.
The man surnamed Yu posted the note Wednesday on the auction page of taobao.com and declared the 18-month-old girl was available for just 1 yuan.
Yu said the girl was his sister's daughter who is from Zhangshu, Jiangxi Province and explained that the family wanted a boy, according to the newspaper.
After complaints from Internet users, the man said that it wasn't an auction but a bungled attempt to put the girl up for adoption.
"It's not a deal and we never considered selling the baby. We made the online post to attract people's attention for prospective adopters. Some families are contacting us and we are still selecting; we wish to find a good family for her," said Yu.
"Children's adoption should be registered and transferred through local civil affairs bureau, so it's absolutely not a deal," he stressed.
Some agreed with him.
"If the man seeks to establish an adoption relationship with bidders, then it's not a deal," said Zhou Ze, a law professor at China Youth University for Political Sciences.
"His behavior doesn't constitute a crime as he tried to sell' the baby on a public venue with a symbolic price, 1 yuan ($0.14), which is sort of entertainment, and his goal is to find someone to adopt the kid through legal procedures," said Wang Sixin, a law professor at the Communication University of China.
The post has since been deleted and the online shop was closed by taobao.com Thursday.
