Only this Wednesday I was blogging about the sale of human eggs and Murdo Macdonald, Policy Officer of the Society, Religion and technology project passed on to me information about the open market conditions in the USA for the purchase of eggs from young women with high academic achievements. This situation is different from that of women from developing countries who chose to sell their eggs possibly to alleviate conditions of poverty and deprivation. It is not that I am against the commerce and profit making of valuable commodities. Commercial activities are good for people and for the economy.
Human tissue is one of the most valuable commodities, and it is legally for sale in some countries in the world. However, the availability of human parts in an open “fertility supermarket” presents a number of ethical problems. It is legitimate to ask, why might it be ethically wrong for a woman to consciously decide to sell parts of her body? Nobody would object to the selling of her hair, why object to the selling of her eggs? Hair and human eggs are not essential for survival and most women have plenty of them. However, eggs are not the same as hair. The eggs are unique life-giving bodily parts. They are not interchangeable and each one carries distinctive personal family traits. From a Christian perspective the uniqueness of each human being is deserving of our complete respect, and we should beware that commercialisation of human eggs is becoming commonplace. Legal does not always equate with wise, and some matters are more than a matter of supply and demand.
Showing posts with label Sale of Human Eggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sale of Human Eggs. Show all posts
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Should Human Eggs ever be for Sale?
According to the Los Angeles Times, Ron Harris auctioned human eggs in the USA with bids starting at $15,000 in 1999. The practice of auctioning and selling human eggs for IVF treatment is not only done in the US. Recently, an IVF fertility clinic in London “raffled” a fertility treatment cycle in conjunction with a US based clinic in Virginia which is responsible for selecting donors and for processing payment to the donor in the order of £6000. The practice is now being done in Scotland where Scottish patients could undergo initial stages in a Glasgow clinic and then proceed with the rest of the treatment in Spain where, according to the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction , “Spanish legislation specifically places the relationship between the donor and clinics on a contractual basis”. The sale of human eggs is not allowed in the UK where donors are only compensated “reasonable” expenses and loss of earnings up to a maximum of £250.The problem is that there is a long waiting list for donated human eggs and a market has arisen.
It is a tribute to the creativity of scientists, biologists and medical doctors that some solutions to infertility are now available. Infertility is a complex emotional problem and the pain and tribulation of individuals and couples facing it should be weighed on the balance against the ramifications of the sale of human eggs for our society.
The Church of Scotland has a clear policy against the sale of human eggs because it considers the practice exploitative of the poor, who may feel compelled to become donors for a fee, undergoing invasive, potentially dangerous and often painful procedures. Fran Abrams of the Daily Mail documented the case of donors from Eastern Europe who have sold their eggs sometimes to the detriment of their own health. The practice is also actively pursued in India with medical tourists travelling for a variety of medical reasons including IVF treatments. The estimated revenue for the assisted reproductive technology industry in the USA alone was calculated at $2 billion US dollars. Donors only receive a small amount of this. It is very telling that such level of profits are extracted from human misery.
The sale of human eggs favours the commoditisation of human parts. Human eggs should not be in a shopping basket on the same level as a grocery item. Commoditisation erodes the inherent value and dignity accorded to the human body and human life. Just as it is wrong to buy and sell human beings it is wrong to buy and sell human eggs.
It is a tribute to the creativity of scientists, biologists and medical doctors that some solutions to infertility are now available. Infertility is a complex emotional problem and the pain and tribulation of individuals and couples facing it should be weighed on the balance against the ramifications of the sale of human eggs for our society.
The Church of Scotland has a clear policy against the sale of human eggs because it considers the practice exploitative of the poor, who may feel compelled to become donors for a fee, undergoing invasive, potentially dangerous and often painful procedures. Fran Abrams of the Daily Mail documented the case of donors from Eastern Europe who have sold their eggs sometimes to the detriment of their own health. The practice is also actively pursued in India with medical tourists travelling for a variety of medical reasons including IVF treatments. The estimated revenue for the assisted reproductive technology industry in the USA alone was calculated at $2 billion US dollars. Donors only receive a small amount of this. It is very telling that such level of profits are extracted from human misery.
The sale of human eggs favours the commoditisation of human parts. Human eggs should not be in a shopping basket on the same level as a grocery item. Commoditisation erodes the inherent value and dignity accorded to the human body and human life. Just as it is wrong to buy and sell human beings it is wrong to buy and sell human eggs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)