RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - The government has ordered an Internet auction site to remove an advertisement in which a Brazilian man offered to sell his wife for about $50. The Secretariat of Public Policies for Women announced late Friday it had ordered Mercado Livre, partially owned by eBay Inc. (EBAY, News), to remove the ad and warned it was violating a law banning the offer or sale of "human organs, people, blood, bones or skin."
The advertisement was no longer visible on the site Saturday.
It was posted by a man who gave his name as Breno and said: "I sell my wife for reasons I prefer to keep short ... I really need the money."
The described his wife physically and listed her qualities as a homemaker and companion. He reportedly said she was 35 and "worth her weight in gold."
The Estado news agency said it wasn't clear if the ad was meant as a joke. It said Mercado Livre told it the ad hadn't been noticed earlier because of the large number of products offered on the site - nearly 1 million.
There was no answer Saturday at phone numbers for Mercado Livre or its public relations agency.
Poster Comment:
I dare not comment.