Social networking sites have taken over as the new neighborhood block parties; except these parties are global and the most we can do in terms of a party is that of a virtual toast being made. Craigslist, Facebook, MySpace…they all have their draws. I have a better time of keeping up with my son through our Facebook accounts than I do in our daily ‘real’ lives. I just found out he got yet another speeding ticket…except I didn’t find out because he willingly volunteered this information; he just forgot I keep a close eye on his page. Needless to say, he’s about to embark on a few less than pleasant conversations. This, of course, is the lighter side (for some who manage to avoid speeding tickets, anyway) of these social networks. It’s the darker sides that are hitting the news.

This time, Craigslist is on the hot seat. With the recently dubbed “Craigslist Killer” finally being captured after having solicited women off of the popular site only to kill them in and around Boston, the spotlight’s now on the high number of ’sex for sell’ ads that seem to be plaguing its want ads. The problem is that Craigslist’s founders and their lawyers insist there’s no way to possibly monitor the millions of additions made to the site on a daily basis and further, they are in no way responsible for what people try buy or sell on their site, thanks to state laws. Besides, they say, they’re too busy scrambling to keep those who participate in human trafficking and crimes against children off of their sites.

In a recent post, there was a similar controversy involving a young woman who was auctioning off her virginity as a way to pay for her education. At first glance, one might wonder why it’s OK to auction off one’s first sexual act while it’s not OK to offer similar sexual services on another site. The difference is the woman auctioned her virginity within the state lines of Nevada, where prostitution is legal. Missouri’s not Nevada and these attempts to force Craigslist to rein in its ad monitoring (or lack of) is sure to become a legal quagmire like none other. A federal judge has been asked to step in and force Craigslist’s founders to completely eliminate its erotic sections. This request has resulted in a meeting with Missouri’s attorney general.

It’s yet to be seen what Craigslist will be required to do, if anything, to clean up its site to the satisfaction of those who disagree with its policies. The first meeting was scheduled for today, although there’ve not been any reports on any outcomes at the time of this writing.

Seems like people are making decisions in efforts to offset temporary money problems, but that will affect them on a permanent basis and for the rest of their lives.  Whether it’s a woman in California auctioning her virginity to pay for school or a new report that indicates a 30% increase in egg and sperm sales, it’s clear life-changing decisions are being made to offset monetary problems caused by the weak American economy.

I couldn’t understand how Natalie Dylan (not her real name), a 22 year old grad student, was legally auctioning off her virginity.  Turns out, she’s pulling this off in Nevada, where prostitution is legal.  Too

Natalie Dylan

many times we do things when we’re young with no thought to how it can affect the rest of our lives.  This goes so far beyond tattoos and other spur of the moment decisions that might affect us, but rarely alter our lives.  I’m still waiting for that day I’ll regret that cowboy hat on my ankle that my mom swears is coming.  It’s been fifteen years, but this was a decision that won’t affect anyone else.  I won’t have a child who, upon discovering I auctioned off an irreplaceable act, will be ashamed of me.  Nor will I have to worry about that same child marrying his sister because of an egg donation years earlier when I needed to make the car payment.

Not to be misunderstood, choosing to play a role in a couple’s desire to have children is a selfless act, when done for the right reasons.  But to sell it when it would never be a consideration if there wasn’t a dollar figure attached to it is sure to bring bad karma.  And just what is the price for donated eggs?  $10,000.  Not that it matters because according to some facilities that are in the business, there are those who are willing to do it for a lot less.  They know this because they receive calls months later by the same donors who wish to negotiate lower fees when told they’re not eligible for another extraction at that time.

No one will ever know for sure about this young woman who’s making such a decision to help cover her education.  Only she will be able to look back on this and wonder if the $3.7 million dollars (this is the current figure - the auction’s not over yet) was worth it.  And too, no one will ever know about those who sell their sperm and eggs.  We can’t know if they will ever see someone on the streets and wonder, “he has my eyes” or will recognize a birthmark located in the same area on a stranger’s arm and wonder if this person shares their DNA.

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