It is unlawful to barter or trade an infant.

The Law Explained

Pennsylvania criminal law contains a specific section that strictly prohibits the trading, bartering, or selling of a child. While selling human beings is obviously covered under broader trafficking laws, this specific statute was historically drafted to prevent destitute parents from trying to exchange their children for goods, debts, or services during extreme economic depressions. The legal code makes it crystal clear that children are not currency.