Surplus Breastmilk, and Other Oddities for Sale

Some call it the darker side of capitalism, while others call it genius. We all sell junk we don't need when strapped for cash; why not excess breast milk? After discovering her daughter wouldn't drink from a bottle, one enterprising mother took out a classified ad to sell her previously-pumped frozen breast milk, which, according to doctors, stays good for about six months. The Iowa State Department of Health is frowning on the sale, but says there are no laws to restrict it.

No one is more in need of extra money than a young mother, but has she taken things too far? We sell plasma, semen, and eggs - but we go to private clinics for that, and generally don't advertise it. This woman is unashamed. One wonders, is there someone willing to feed her child another woman's milk? Or, more unsettlingly, someone willing to pay hundreds of dollars to drink it themselves?

eBay, the premiere auction website, has several categories for odd things, ranging from "Weird Stuff" to "Totally Bizarre." In true internet fashion, it's mostly filled with scams and advertisements, but the occasional gem pops up: one woman, divorced after four years, is selling her wedding album. She says the album itself is fine leather worth hundreds of dollars, and the pictures could be used for all sorts of fun activities and excuses for time off work.

eBay has a long list of forbidden items, including human remains and body parts. The rule might have existed since eBay's conception, due to a very jaded legal department, or maybe someone attempted to sell Grandpa's ashes - neither option is particularly comforting.

Is this modern age tearing down the curtains of basic decency, or is it merely sweeping aside outdated social mores? Some things just seem too personal or private to give up - these people are dealing with the loss by asking for money in return. It would make sense to a perfectly logical robot, but to many of us it may seem exploitative. But if someone is willing to pay, how much of a moral outrage can it be? In this zeitgeist, when cannibal fetishists find willing victims on Craigslist, the selling of personal mementos and nipple secretions seems quaint.

Common sense would dictate that if there's someone willing to sell, there's someone willing to buy. These enterprising people might just be the wave of the future, and those of us who can swallow our pride (and squeamishness) should consider joining their ranks.

Sources:
http://www.whotv.com/global/story.asp?s=7296959
http://ebay.com