Since 1896
I am Gregory Dawson
filling in for Clifford Banes
who is wandering along
I-97 in a bathrobe
with no memory
of who he is.
Whether adorning jewelry
or serving as home furnishings
baby skulls are one of the most
sought after ornamental items
in the United States.
But a new report finds as
many as 3
are acquired in illegal
and sometimes brutal ways.
Should the baby skull industry
be subject to greater regulations?
The skull trade is
not without corruption,
we all know this.
- Yes.
In Angola laborers who travel
on foot from village to village
collecting baby skulls are forced
to work 16 hours straight.
- It's awful.
- These skulls pass through so many hands
it is hard to know which ones
are harvested illegally
and which ones are
harvested responsibly
as they have been doing
for hundreds of years.
It is ironic that
something so beautiful
could be tied to so much
pain and suffering.
Yes, but people should
not be demonized
just for wearing
a baby skull.
Listen, last month there was
a photo spread in Newsweek
that ran and showed some
of these baby skull harvesters
and they were in very bad shape,
some of them had their arms cut off
they had gotten in the
way of their own machetes
while harvesting these skulls.
- Whose fault is that?
I don't see how anybody
right now can buy a baby skull
with a clean conscience.
- That is unfair.
I should bad for
wearing this necklace?
My mother gave it to me.
It is beautiful Lauralee,
it is a beautiful necklace.
- It is a stunning necklace Lauralee.
- Thank you.
And I hope that it was collected
and polished using fair practices.
The fact, Lauralee, is
that you just don't know.
In response to the recent outcry
the baby skull industry has launched
a massive nation-wide campaign
to salvage its image.
Some critics argue that ads like these
should be required to warn consumers
about possible
humanitarian issues.
It is not going to matter
how many warnings you put on it,
people are not going to
stop wanting baby skulls.
There we agree.
Every little girl grows up dreaming
of a whole chest full of baby skulls.
- Baby skulls are part of our culture.
- That is right.
If my husband hadn't given me a
baby skull ring when he proposed to me
I would have been like,
where's the skull?
If consumers are concerned
about possible abuse
then they should take matters
into their own hands,
ask the skull dealer
where he got the skull,
ask to see the spine if he has it.
- Exactly.
Some have suggested that we
build up the baby skull industry
in our own nation
so that we might be able
to provide greater oversight.
- Great solution.
- American babies on American soil.
I have seen some of those
cheap Chinese baby skulls
and sure they're cheap but that's
just because their more plentiful.
They have a lot of problems,
they have dings and dents.
But Lauralee I am talking about
high quality American made skulls.
Now, take a look at this skull that I
got from an independent dealer recently.
Oh my god,
Duncan that is not a baby skull!
- That is a cow skull.
- What? Oh, oh!
God damn it.
Still ahead this hour:
Obama to appear on cover of
President Magazine.
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