Frontline: Baby Brokers (2026) – Adoption on Television

E040 | Frontline: Baby Brokers (2026) – Adoption on Television As Haley works on her investigative series podcast On Adoption, other docs are also telling real stories about the adoption industry, including PBS’s Frontline, which in June of 2026 aired an episode titled “Baby Brokers.” Produced in collaboration with the not-for-profit, independent news organization Retro Report, the episode looks at the adoption tourism industry — the luring of pregnant women to adoption-friendly states and pressure put upon them to relinquish their children to waiting adoptive parents. Tune in as podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer discuss where the doc pushed on the conventional narrative, and where it didn’t push far enough. Frontline: The Baby Brokers first aired on June 23, 2026. It was written by Gabrielle Glaser and Sarah Weiser, and directed by Glaser. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on September 9, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Learn more about Haley’s investigative series podcast, On Adoption. Sociologist Gretchen Sisson, PhD, studies abortion and adoption. Her book, Relinquished: The Politics and Privilege of American Motherhood dispels many of the myths underlying the adoption industry. Paul Petersen pled guilty to state and federal charges in Utah, Arizona, and Arkansas for his role in an illegal human trafficking and adoption scheme. At the time of this recording, he is in an Arizona state prison. The Offshore podcast season three, “The Blood Calls” can be found here. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) is a co-sponsor on the ADOPT Act, as well as the Protect Adoptees and American Families Act, which will grant citizenship to international adoptees adopted as children not otherwise covered in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000. She is not a cosponsor of open records legislation, as indicated by Sullivan during the episode. Adoption Pop! previously covered Apple TV’s Shrinking Season 2 and Season 3, which feature a character who is an adoption consultant. Check out Kristal’s adoptee interview podcast, Because She’s Adopted. “Klobochar, Britt, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan ADOPT to Protect Adoptive Families from Exploitation,” (November 20, 2025) “National Council for Adoption Announces Adoption Hall of Fame 2025 Honorees,” (October 17, 2025) Jon Husted, “Adoption not only changed my life, but the lives of every member of my family,” (November 27, 2025) The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We’d love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you’d like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com and on Instagram.