Have online surrogacy groups become a marketplace for other children?

Online groups meant for surrogacy sometimes carry messages about swapping already-conceived children. This should concern us.

I spend a fair amount of time lurking and learning on Facebook groups that pertain to assisted reproduction. I've written about the groups that facilitate the independent exchange of sperm, for instance — there are many — but less so about groups that facilitate surrogacy.

The main purpose of these surrogacy groups, from what I can see, is to make a match. Most members are either intended parents looking to find a surrogate or surrogates looking to help them out. There are a few other members in the mix too — former surrogates and IPs who are sharing their experiences and advice, agency owners touting their services, and a small assortment of people like me.

Some Facebook groups are monitored closely, and comments are screened before going live. Many post their rules and have moderators that won't hesitate to remove people who violate them. But some groups do not have active moderators. They seem to operate more like an old wooden telephone pole, where people just tack up their messages.

In May, I noticed something strange in one of the surrogacy groups I follow — something that felt like under-the-table adoption.

Below I describe three separate conversations I saw in one surrogacy group in a single week in May.