Filhos Roubados

The start of this movie tells the audience that although there are thousands of legitimate adoption agencies around the country who do a wonderful service to the mothers and families involved, there are also fraudulent organizations that actually sell children to adopting parents. It's terrible, but it did (and does) happen, and in 1940, Hollywood decided to take a stand and show this cautionary tale.

In Babies for Sale, reporter Glenn Ford writes a story about an adoption agency that sells babies. He gets fired because of backlash from doctors, and he decides to find out the truth on his own time. Meanwhile, Rochelle Hudson is a poor, young widow who has come to a clinic run by Miles Mander, She believes it to be a kind shelter that takes care of women when they have their babies and finds them good homes. She starts doubting the good reputation when the other pregnant women tell her stories about how things are really run there. Will Rachel escape in time before she has her child (which she wants to keep, unlike most of the other girls there) or will Glenn find and bust the racket himself?

Although short in running time, this movie packs a punch and features an awful lot of information. It also shows young women walking around in loose smocks, which is the closest to showing pregnant bellies that the Production Code would allow at that time. It's sad that some many women were tricked, and it probably continues to happen, but at least movies like this can make people aware and wary.