7.4 percent of married women between the ages of 15 and 44 are completely infertile. Another 11.8 percent of women aged 15 to 44 in the United States have an impaired ability to have children. Nearly 1 out of every 5 women in this age group who live in the United States have trouble or are completely unable to bear a child (CDC Faststats). However advances in modern biotechnology have opened many windows for these women. An example of advancement in technology can be found in the in vitro fertilization process, where sperm and egg are joined in a test tube for a higher chance of fertilization. But this process can cause serious health problems in the newborn child, such as premature births and a higher rate of chronic diseases such as Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (Hidden Dangers of In Vitro Fertilization). Do these women have other, safer options to have a healthy baby? Surely if scientists can genetically alter animals and get close to cloning a human being they can certainly help these mothers who wish to have a baby, right?
An article published by Nature in August of 2009 explains the fact that manipulating or transplanting the DNA of an egg that may be defective with the DNA of a different “healthy” egg may create the a higher possibility of having a healthy baby. However, the questionable ethics of this type of procedure make implementation and further research difficult to accomplish. The Nature article first addresses the fact that in order to accomplish this type of egg manipulation, embryos would have to be created just for the "sake of research and science." This has been an issue for many years as it pertains to the “sanctity of life” of the embryo. However, the author attacks this claim by saying that embryos have been created for research that is funded by non-governmental agencies and that many embryos are "destroyed in commercial fertility clinics." Also the author explains that because paying to receive eggs for research is illegal because of coercion laws in every state except New York, many women just go to the fertility clinics where they can receive thousands of dollars for donating eggs. The author of this article argues that being compensated to donate eggs to research for this type of procedure would eventually lead to more ethical clinical techniques. This author concludes that egg manipulation should be allowed and researched so that more couples have the chance to have a healthy baby. This process, however, is dependent upon egg donations (Nature 460). The Nature article argues many scientific and legal ethical questions about egg manipulation and the associated research, but fails to acknowledge the social and economic ethical aspects of egg donation, an essential component of this procedure, which could cause larger scale issues in society than the inability to bear children by a small minority of women.
By first examining the economic ethical nature of egg donation one can gain significant insight into some of the ethical problems of the procedure. In basic economics, there are three basic players: the supplier, the consumer, and the regulator. In the case of egg donation, the supplier is the donor, the consumer is the clinic or whoever receives the eggs, and the regulating branch is the government. However, this regulatory body is absent from the donation process in the United States. In the United States, egg donation is not regulated by the government like it is in Canada or Western Europe where egg donation must be “voluntary and free of monetary compensation” (Amplify). In the United States, however, fertility clinics advertise and pay their suppliers ridiculous amounts of money to undergo a dangerous procedure that may end in hyper-stimulation ,hospitalization, and in some cases, more severe consequences( Amplify). Also, because the prices have no maximum limit, the clinics are able to use higher compensation amounts to “tempt donors to downplay the risks” (The High Cost of Eggs). For a compensation comparison, sperm donations receive on average about 25$ in the United States, and egg donations can receive anywhere from $2,500-$5,000 or above (Roth). It is the lack of regulation in the extremely high prices that has caused many more girls to become interested in this dangerous process.
The high compensation amounts can attract many females to embark on the egg donation journey, but strategically placed advertisements allow the clinics to focus on a target supplier. In many cases this target supplier is college, or college-aged, females. Not only are college aged females in the “ripest form” for egg donation, but they are also extremely vulnerable as they may be victim to tuition debt or other money shortages. Many of these girls do not have high-paying jobs or a consistent supply of income and are in the need for a few extra dollars. The fertility clinics are essentially able to “[induce] poor women to accept the risks of donation just to escape debt” with their high compensation rates and as a result, the clinics have ample people willing to donate for a little bit of quick cash. This exploitation of the poorer young women of society is not only flirting with the ethical lines on an economic sense but also could cause major other social problems down the road (Roth).
As fertility clinics try to take advantage of people in dire need for money, they could also run into some serious social and economic ethical problems. The proven irresistibility of money in today’s society combined with the large rewards from the clinics provides an incentive for anyone to donate eggs, but those in desperate need for money are more likely to donate. But because of the lack of regulation in the United States nothing is keeping females with genetic defects of disease from donating their eggs to the clinics to pick up some additional financial benefits. The fact that a hopeful parent could receive an egg that contains a genetic defect or disease from a fertility clinic that could affect the potential child is a scary thought. It also is not fair to the parents or the potential child that the fertility clinic is after more money instead of protecting against the dangers of “lesser quality” eggs. It is almost as though the fertility clinics are cheating the potential parents and the child. Nothing about this issue is ethically right in the economic or social sense (Roth).
The idea of “lesser quality” eggs in terms of eggs that carry disease or genetic defect is a big issue dealing especially with ethics socially. No family looking to have a baby wants to acknowledge the possibility of having an unhealthy child, but with egg donations taking place unregulated, the chance of receiving an unhealthy egg may escalate. But the quality of eggs could also potentially go far beyond the idea of health issues. The quality of the egg could also theoretically be interpreted to include the pedigree of the donor. It has been recorded that students at the University of Oregon have received $4,000 for donating eggs, whereas students at Cornell have received on the upward ends of $10,000 for donating (Amplify). What makes the eggs $6,000 different- the difference in a public school and a private Ivy League school? Egg brokers often “offer tens of thousands of dollars to women with the right pedigree of looks, SAT scores and special talents” (The High Cost of Eggs). These females’ eggs are the most demanded by women looking for help to have a child. This raises the question, is it right that the richest people are able to essentially purchase the best chance at having a smart, beautiful, and talented child? This will promote the fertility clinics targeting the “best” females in terms of the highest test scores, best looks, athletic ability, musical ability and many more categories. Parents will essentially be able to customize the genes of their child in order to give themselves the best chances of having the perfect baby. This crosses the ethical lines on so many levels as it could essentially lead to what some people consider “playing God.”
In addition to targeting females for their test scores, intelligence, looks, and abilities, race and issues of ethnicity can also play a huge role. If parents can pick and choose desired characteristics based on test scores, eye color, height, athletic ability, and many more similar factors of the egg donor, what is to stop the parents from choosing or excluding specific races or ethnicities? One egg donation advertisement called for “Young Filipino women with a GPA of 3.5 and above.” If egg donation clinics can demand specific racial characteristics of egg donors, the clinics can define certain races as more desirable, or superior, to others. This is essentially opening the door to a medium for discrete, or maybe not so discrete, racial discrimination (Amplify).
The idea of giving every couple faced with the dilemma of not having a baby or having a baby by other means than traditional conception an opportunity to have a healthy baby is a very optimistic, yet extremely humane and happy thought. It is something that societies around the world should shoot forward in the future. As the Nature article explains we are close scientifically, however it is the ethics that present a huge problem. Nowadays with the lack of regulation and rules, fertility clinics are able to pay as much as they want, target who they want, pay more for “better eggs,” and many other things that allow parents to essentially customize a perfect child and the clinics to abuse the suppliers. This is where the ethical line has to be fixed if this egg manipulation process is to be pursued in the future. The author of “The ethics of Egg Donation” states: “When we scrutinize egg sources, we tread a fine edge between ensuring healthy babies and pursuing eugenics?” which is a very accurate description of what could be happening now with ethical issues in the field of egg donation and the egg manipulation research (Amplify). The socioeconomic ethics of this issue nowadays are what make it something that needs to be saved for the future. Besides, there are alternatives for the time being for the people unable to conceive a child, such as adoption. Adoption provides a perfectly legitimate alternative to having a baby for those incapable and provides further reason to delay the implementation of egg donation and manipulation until the ethical problems have been sorted out.
Works Cited
"Donors at Risk: The High Cost of Eggs - US News and World Report." Health News Articles - US News Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/030113/13donor.b.htm.
The Ethics of Egg Donation." Amplify. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/Leah627/2009/5/18/The-Ethics-of-Egg-Donation.
"The Ethics of Egg Manipulation : Article : Nature." Nature Publishing Group : Science Journals, Jobs, and Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v460/n7259/full/4601057a.htm.
"FASTSTATS - Infertility." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2010.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/fertile.htm.
Mattes, Bradley. "The Hidden Dangers of In Vitro Fertilization." Christian Life Resources :: Clearly Caring! N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
http://www.christianliferesources.com/?library/view.php&articleid=1204.
Roth, Rebecca. "Egg Donations." Serendip's Exchange. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. .
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f01/web2/roth.html.
Image from: http://www.photoshopnerds.com/images/egg_14.jpg
An article published by Nature in August of 2009 explains the fact that manipulating or transplanting the DNA of an egg that may be defective with the DNA of a different “healthy” egg may create the a higher possibility of having a healthy baby. However, the questionable ethics of this type of procedure make implementation and further research difficult to accomplish. The Nature article first addresses the fact that in order to accomplish this type of egg manipulation, embryos would have to be created just for the "sake of research and science." This has been an issue for many years as it pertains to the “sanctity of life” of the embryo. However, the author attacks this claim by saying that embryos have been created for research that is funded by non-governmental agencies and that many embryos are "destroyed in commercial fertility clinics." Also the author explains that because paying to receive eggs for research is illegal because of coercion laws in every state except New York, many women just go to the fertility clinics where they can receive thousands of dollars for donating eggs. The author of this article argues that being compensated to donate eggs to research for this type of procedure would eventually lead to more ethical clinical techniques. This author concludes that egg manipulation should be allowed and researched so that more couples have the chance to have a healthy baby. This process, however, is dependent upon egg donations (Nature 460). The Nature article argues many scientific and legal ethical questions about egg manipulation and the associated research, but fails to acknowledge the social and economic ethical aspects of egg donation, an essential component of this procedure, which could cause larger scale issues in society than the inability to bear children by a small minority of women.
By first examining the economic ethical nature of egg donation one can gain significant insight into some of the ethical problems of the procedure. In basic economics, there are three basic players: the supplier, the consumer, and the regulator. In the case of egg donation, the supplier is the donor, the consumer is the clinic or whoever receives the eggs, and the regulating branch is the government. However, this regulatory body is absent from the donation process in the United States. In the United States, egg donation is not regulated by the government like it is in Canada or Western Europe where egg donation must be “voluntary and free of monetary compensation” (Amplify). In the United States, however, fertility clinics advertise and pay their suppliers ridiculous amounts of money to undergo a dangerous procedure that may end in hyper-stimulation ,hospitalization, and in some cases, more severe consequences( Amplify). Also, because the prices have no maximum limit, the clinics are able to use higher compensation amounts to “tempt donors to downplay the risks” (The High Cost of Eggs). For a compensation comparison, sperm donations receive on average about 25$ in the United States, and egg donations can receive anywhere from $2,500-$5,000 or above (Roth). It is the lack of regulation in the extremely high prices that has caused many more girls to become interested in this dangerous process.
The high compensation amounts can attract many females to embark on the egg donation journey, but strategically placed advertisements allow the clinics to focus on a target supplier. In many cases this target supplier is college, or college-aged, females. Not only are college aged females in the “ripest form” for egg donation, but they are also extremely vulnerable as they may be victim to tuition debt or other money shortages. Many of these girls do not have high-paying jobs or a consistent supply of income and are in the need for a few extra dollars. The fertility clinics are essentially able to “[induce] poor women to accept the risks of donation just to escape debt” with their high compensation rates and as a result, the clinics have ample people willing to donate for a little bit of quick cash. This exploitation of the poorer young women of society is not only flirting with the ethical lines on an economic sense but also could cause major other social problems down the road (Roth).
As fertility clinics try to take advantage of people in dire need for money, they could also run into some serious social and economic ethical problems. The proven irresistibility of money in today’s society combined with the large rewards from the clinics provides an incentive for anyone to donate eggs, but those in desperate need for money are more likely to donate. But because of the lack of regulation in the United States nothing is keeping females with genetic defects of disease from donating their eggs to the clinics to pick up some additional financial benefits. The fact that a hopeful parent could receive an egg that contains a genetic defect or disease from a fertility clinic that could affect the potential child is a scary thought. It also is not fair to the parents or the potential child that the fertility clinic is after more money instead of protecting against the dangers of “lesser quality” eggs. It is almost as though the fertility clinics are cheating the potential parents and the child. Nothing about this issue is ethically right in the economic or social sense (Roth).
The idea of “lesser quality” eggs in terms of eggs that carry disease or genetic defect is a big issue dealing especially with ethics socially. No family looking to have a baby wants to acknowledge the possibility of having an unhealthy child, but with egg donations taking place unregulated, the chance of receiving an unhealthy egg may escalate. But the quality of eggs could also potentially go far beyond the idea of health issues. The quality of the egg could also theoretically be interpreted to include the pedigree of the donor. It has been recorded that students at the University of Oregon have received $4,000 for donating eggs, whereas students at Cornell have received on the upward ends of $10,000 for donating (Amplify). What makes the eggs $6,000 different- the difference in a public school and a private Ivy League school? Egg brokers often “offer tens of thousands of dollars to women with the right pedigree of looks, SAT scores and special talents” (The High Cost of Eggs). These females’ eggs are the most demanded by women looking for help to have a child. This raises the question, is it right that the richest people are able to essentially purchase the best chance at having a smart, beautiful, and talented child? This will promote the fertility clinics targeting the “best” females in terms of the highest test scores, best looks, athletic ability, musical ability and many more categories. Parents will essentially be able to customize the genes of their child in order to give themselves the best chances of having the perfect baby. This crosses the ethical lines on so many levels as it could essentially lead to what some people consider “playing God.”
In addition to targeting females for their test scores, intelligence, looks, and abilities, race and issues of ethnicity can also play a huge role. If parents can pick and choose desired characteristics based on test scores, eye color, height, athletic ability, and many more similar factors of the egg donor, what is to stop the parents from choosing or excluding specific races or ethnicities? One egg donation advertisement called for “Young Filipino women with a GPA of 3.5 and above.” If egg donation clinics can demand specific racial characteristics of egg donors, the clinics can define certain races as more desirable, or superior, to others. This is essentially opening the door to a medium for discrete, or maybe not so discrete, racial discrimination (Amplify).
The idea of giving every couple faced with the dilemma of not having a baby or having a baby by other means than traditional conception an opportunity to have a healthy baby is a very optimistic, yet extremely humane and happy thought. It is something that societies around the world should shoot forward in the future. As the Nature article explains we are close scientifically, however it is the ethics that present a huge problem. Nowadays with the lack of regulation and rules, fertility clinics are able to pay as much as they want, target who they want, pay more for “better eggs,” and many other things that allow parents to essentially customize a perfect child and the clinics to abuse the suppliers. This is where the ethical line has to be fixed if this egg manipulation process is to be pursued in the future. The author of “The ethics of Egg Donation” states: “When we scrutinize egg sources, we tread a fine edge between ensuring healthy babies and pursuing eugenics?” which is a very accurate description of what could be happening now with ethical issues in the field of egg donation and the egg manipulation research (Amplify). The socioeconomic ethics of this issue nowadays are what make it something that needs to be saved for the future. Besides, there are alternatives for the time being for the people unable to conceive a child, such as adoption. Adoption provides a perfectly legitimate alternative to having a baby for those incapable and provides further reason to delay the implementation of egg donation and manipulation until the ethical problems have been sorted out.
Works Cited
"Donors at Risk: The High Cost of Eggs - US News and World Report." Health News Articles - US News Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/030113/13donor.b.htm.
The Ethics of Egg Donation." Amplify. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/Leah627/2009/5/18/The-Ethics-of-Egg-Donation.
"The Ethics of Egg Manipulation : Article : Nature." Nature Publishing Group : Science Journals, Jobs, and Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v460/n7259/full/4601057a.htm.
"FASTSTATS - Infertility." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2010.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/fertile.htm.
Mattes, Bradley. "The Hidden Dangers of In Vitro Fertilization." Christian Life Resources :: Clearly Caring! N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
http://www.christianliferesources.com/?library/view.php&articleid=1204.
Roth, Rebecca. "Egg Donations." Serendip's Exchange. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. .
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f01/web2/roth.html.
Image from: http://www.photoshopnerds.com/images/egg_14.jpg
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