Texas mother accused of trying to sell her baby on Facebook

A young mother in Texas has been accused of trying to sell her baby on Facebook despite being warned it was illegal.

Houston resident Juniper Bryson, 21, was charged with a third-degree felony of “sale or purchase of a child,” according to documents filed with the Harris County District Clerk's Office and reported by the agency Houston Chronicleafter she tried to sell her baby to someone in Louisiana for $150 on social media.

Bryson came to attention on Facebook after contacting six people before giving birth to her baby. Messages exchanged on the platform that were included in the court documents reported by the Houston Chronicle, revealed that Bryson reportedly didn't think selling her child was a crime and instead saw her move as a “different kind of adoption.”

She also allegedly told people on Facebook who said her actions were illegal that she believed it was no different than people paying for a surrogate.

She allegedly said in a message on the social media platform to a woman she called Aunt Jenna: “It's not even like just moving into an apartment so I can work is enough…”

The Harris County Sheriff's Department was contacted via email seeking comment.

According to surrogacy.com, there are no commercial surrogacy laws in Texas, meaning surrogacy is completely legal in the state. However, Texans cannot pay for surrogacy in exchange for the birth of a child. They can only financially compensate their surrogate mother for the time and effort she spends conceiving and bearing a child.

Texas also has “safe harbor” laws that allow parents to legally leave their newborns at a hospital, fire station or designated safe place within 60 days of birth. The safe haven laws were one of the arguments for the overthrow Roe v. Wade by Justice Samuel Alito.

Since Texas banned abortions after detecting a fetal heartbeat, the state's infant mortality rate has increased by 12.9%.

Bryson was reported to the police for her actions by a woman she was messaging with on Facebook Houston Chronicle.

In addition to being charged with a third-degree felony, Bryson's baby was also reported to have tested positive for drugs Bryson took during her pregnancy.

It wasn't Bryson's first arrest. Per Houston Chronicle, She has already been charged with “unauthorized use of a vehicle, assault on a family member and criminal coercion.”

All three cases were dismissed due to their involvement in an ongoing federal case, court documents noted.

Her bond was set at $30,000, although prosecutors had requested it be set at $20,000, and Bryson is scheduled to appear before a Harris County judge on Nov. 4.

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