Mom Sells Twins For Plastic Surgery

by Amy Hatch (Subscribe to Amy Hatch's posts) Dec 15th 2008 1:00PM

A mother in Belgium stands accused of selling her newborn twin boys to fund her liposuction surgery. The woman, Sonia Ringoir, 31, is a restaurant worker in Ghent, Belgium, and according to an interview with her current boyfriend, she did so because her estranged husband "put pressure on her to have her body rebuilt."

It was that same estranged husband, Marc Poppe, who turned Ringoir in, telling undercover cops that the couple searched the Internet for ways to make money off their babies, because of course they wouldn't give them away "for nothing."

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Belgium does not have a law that addresses the sale of children, and so Ringoir has been charged with "degrading treatment" of her twins. She was also charged with fraud, after a Dutch couple alleged that she falsely offered to be a surrogate mother for them. She is facing a sentence of 30 days to five years if she is convicted.

Ringoir has five other kids ranging in age from 3 to 13, from two different fathers, and has been released pending the results of a police investigation. She claims she gave the babies to a friend "for free" out of the goodness of her heart, when learning of her pal's infertility.

The kicker? Ringor didn't even have the lipo. Instead, she opted for gastric-band surgery to "reduce" her appetite.

I'm not a proponent of forced sterilization, but for goodness sake, if ever there was a candidate for that punishment, this is the woman. And Belgium? You might want to consider the fact that selling your babies should be against the law.

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Comments (40)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Shannon 12-15-2008 @ 2:23PM

Who bought the babies?We know the mother's ethics are questionable. What about the people who bought the children? Why are they not being charged?

Amy 12-15-2008 @ 2:41PM

the article says the purchasers believed they were getting the babies as a surrogate mother kinda deal...maybe that's why, they were lied to...

Keith J. Mohrhoff 12-15-2008 @ 2:52PM

The ones who 'bought' the children were not charged because they just wanted to have children that they could love and raise. This is a VERY powerful drive that is difficult to overcome. So much so, in fact, that it could be used to create a 'diminished capacity' defense. Also, such cases are very hard to prove--even here in the U.S.--because a non-lawyer could easily claim that they didn't know they were committing a crime. For instance, ask anyone whose ever adopted a child and (in most cases) they will tell you that it cost them A LOT of money. How then, is a layperson supposed to understand the legal difference between a 'private adoption' and a 'sale'? Even legal experts have difficulty explaining the difference.

Heather 12-16-2008 @ 4:51PM

Why isn't the husband/boyfriend being charged with something? I'm sure him verbally and emotionally abusing this woman by calling her fat helped drive her to this. Granted she doesn't need anymore kids after 5 anyways, but the man also played a role in this and should be held accountable.

michelle 12-15-2008 @ 2:49PM

the woman, her boyfriend and her estranged husband are all equally responsible. they should all lose all custody of all their children permanently and be sterilized so they can't produce anymore.

Andy 12-15-2008 @ 5:29PM

AMEN!

lili 12-15-2008 @ 2:43PM

I hope the babies were sold to a couple who can treat them better than this sick man and woman could. This is a very sick story

amandadugger 12-15-2008 @ 7:54PM

I agree that though the babies are defintely better off without those things some would call parents, it should be illegal for this sort of thing to happen worldwide. This is not what God had intended when he gave them the gift of those two precious babies. I can only pray that the people who got them will love them in the way of the Lord and with the kind of love that every baby deserves from parents. God bless them and the parents they now have to raise them.

chainsaw 12-15-2008 @ 3:06PM

What's the big deal? That she didn't know ahead of time that babies are one of the exceptions to our economy's assumption that everything is for sale, and is supposed to be for sale, and that is basically okay?

I mean, what else can't she sell? Other people's stuff, basically. She can sell her own body - whore herself? who cares but her hubby? sell plamsa and organs - whatever. Destroy her body with degrading labor - that's the working life. She can sell her emotions, her time, her affections, her old secrets - no problem.

So why NOT her babies?

ang 12-15-2008 @ 3:09PM

you have some interesting and amazing insight...well said

crabby 12-15-2008 @ 6:19PM

People broker deals for babies all of the time.She should have done it legitimately.

ang 12-15-2008 @ 3:07PM

To me this woman is like Dianne Downs. A woman who is obsessed with her man. The article said she opted for the surgery because of pressure to be more perfect, and most likely so she would not lose her husband. Ultimately she made the choice she would rather lose her children rather than lose her husband...It really boils down to her being controlled by her own fear of rejection...to the point of rejecting her sons. She needs mental help.

ang 12-15-2008 @ 5:28PM

I was more referring to her obsession and willingness to get rid of her kids as being the same rather than a literal comparison. I agree one hundred percent that Diane Downs should never get out of jail for any reason in this lifetime. The woman in the article may not have gone so far as to kill or maim her children, but if she could not have sold them who knows how much life insurance she would have taken out on them...

Sean 12-15-2008 @ 8:26PM

At least she didn't trade them for breast implants....you know, trading in on set of twins for another...

Angiebaby 12-15-2008 @ 3:41PM

The saddest part? The twins will be taken from a loving set of parents and returned to some combination of the menage-a-trois of idiots involved in this fiasco... the woman, her husband and her lover. Poor babies.

Stephanie 12-15-2008 @ 4:04PM

I find it hard to believe that she wasnted lipo for her husband...considering she has a boyfriend! Even if he was pushing her to have surgery it's not like she is lacking male attention. The babies should stay with the people who obviously wanted children enough to "buy" them, at least they will show them love. It says she gave them to a friend "Out of the goodness of her heart" yeah right.

e 12-15-2008 @ 4:08PM

I think that mothers should go through a body changing counseling class before they deliver their children to help with the after affects that carrying children has. Though this woman had five other children, her husband pressured her for something that HE contributed to.
When I had my first son, I was in depression over how my body looked afterward. Just a suggestion

shwatson 12-15-2008 @ 4:18PM

I have 3 boys, the younger two being twins. I could not imagine any circumstance that my husband could present that would EVER make me leave/abandon my children. I've always told him that if it's ever between him and the children, I'll send him a postcard from wherever we land.

teresa 12-15-2008 @ 4:40PM

Oh God, this is just f-in sick. She doesn't deserve to have those babies any more. Who could put material desires over their kids? Those poor dear sweet baby boys, I hope they end up in the care and home of loving and sane parents who wouldn't give them up for anything in the world. What a selfish and loony witch who could sell her babies!! If her children mean so little to her I'll be praying that she keeps her legs together in the future.