The Egg Man
Wesley Smith writes on Second Hand Smoke that there ought to be an outright ban on the a woman's ability to sell her gametes all together--for fertility treatments, stem cell research, or any purpose at all. He makes this claim that paying women $3000 to $7000 per cycle was troublesome, citing as his reasons health risks and the commoditization of women.
Yet, he argues that altruistic donations of eggs by women would be fine....despite the existence of the same health risks regardless of whether money changes hands or not.
Somehow it seems unjust to me to ask women to undergo what all acknowledge to be a difficult, painful, and for some women risky process to donate eggs--whether for altruistic or other reasons--and at least not compensate her for her time and on some sort of model of "hazard pay".
So explain this argument to me, Mr. Egg Man, why is it okay to ask women to undertake the health risks for no pay, yet compensation for time or effort would be so horrible as to recommending banning the practice?
Summer Johnson, PhD
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And why do we ban the sale of kidneys, when we allow the donation of kidneys?
- by Thomas on Aug 1, 2008 at 11:21 AM | link
Thomas said it before I did.
- by Laura(southernxyl) on Aug 2, 2008 at 7:11 PM | link
The eggman sayeth: If eggs can be bought, the poor will sell and the rich will buy, the poor will suffer the health consequences and the rich and powerful will either try to win Nobel Prizes for cloning or enjoy their babies oblivious of the potential death, infertility, or other problems for women.
Seems obvious to me. But then, I'm not a Ph.D.
- by wesley j. smith on Aug 4, 2008 at 2:16 PM | link
I'd like us to forget our fascination with the egg all together and leave young women's ovaries ALONE. ( I mean it ain't like donating sperm...although I think some men, especially the ones who want to get their hands on human eggs, like to think it is.)
Let's remember a kidney saves a life, eggs are used make little lives that may end up frozen indefinitely or pulled apart by scientists in the lab.
- by Rebecca on Jan 26, 2009 at 1:41 PM | link
... your comment leaves some lingering questions: is there a long term physical difference between stimulating sperm ejection and being the recipient of depo lupon? Does the clear and present danger of ovarian hyperstimulation the equivilent of masterbation? Which has its limitation - eggs or sperm....?
Think of about the answer to those questions and you may see the clear differentiation between the two; that is sperm and egg donation.
- by ruth ann on Jan 9, 2011 at 2:56 PM | link