Unborn baby trafficking 'on the rise'

Unborn baby trafficking 'on the rise' One of Australia's senior law officers says a new system of rights is needed to help fight a growing trade in unborn babies.

The chief magistrate of the Federal Magistrate's Court, John Pascoe, says smugglers increasingly traffic pregnant women, rather than babies, to help reduce mortality and increase profits. He says the developed world's demand for young babies for adoption is a key driver of the trade.

Mr Pascoe will present a paper on the issue in Singapore this weekend. He says thousands of expectant mothers are trafficked, and countries must make it as hard as possible for the smugglers.

"We need to move to a system that actually gives a child rights which crystallise the moment it is born and that those rights should include a right to know its nationality, to know who its parents are and generally to be properly cared for," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/22/2578594.htm?section=australia