News of the Weird
Bizarre but true stories about real people collected by syndicated columnist Chuck Shepherd.
Jennalee Ryan of San Antonio last year began selling choice human embryos, ready for prospective mothers to implant after having chosen from Ryan’s catalog describing the contributors’ education, attractiveness and medical history. “We’re just trying to help people have babies,” she told The Washington Post, and at less cost than full in-vitro procedures (since she has eliminated the risk of failed fertilizations). But, said a bioethicist, “It’s like you’re ordering a computer from Dell.” (Ryan said she does not take custom orders.) Of her emphasis on well-educated, good-looking contributors of sperm and eggs, she said, “Who wants an ugly, stupid kid?”
Shawn Mohan, 20, was arrested for shooting his infant son several times with a BB gun. Mohan said it was an accident, but the St. Charles County, Mo., sheriff pointed to similar bruises on the baby’s face, left arm, hand, foot, hip and buttocks, and said Mohan was on probation for an earlier child-endangerment conviction.
Sunday school teacher Edgar Selavka, 49, was arrested after he reported to police in Northampton, Mass., that someone had stolen his backpack from church; shortly afterward, police found the backpack in a nearby restroom, with its contents on the floor, including at least 11 child pornography photos.
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