Posted on 05/16/2007 12:13:26 AM PDT by neverdem
Samantha Carolan was 23 and fresh out of graduate school when she decided to donate eggs to an infertile couple. Ms. Carolan concedes that she would never have done it if not for the money, $7,000 that she used to pay off some student loans.
She has since had a second egg extraction, for which she was paid $8,000, and she is planning a third before taking a break.
“The first time, it’s frightening,” said Ms. Carolan, now 24, of Winfield Park, N.J. “It is surgery, and I don’t think I would have done it without compensation. But I had very limited pain, and it was a great experience for me. I would have done it the second time for less money or even no compensation.”
Though many egg donors derive great satisfaction from knowing that they helped someone start a family, the price of eggs has soared in recent years as demand has increased, and the sizable payments raise controversy.
A survey published this month in the journal Fertility and Sterility, “What Is Happening to the Price of Eggs?” found that the national average compensation for donors was $4,217. At least one center told the authors of the paper that it paid $15,000. Many centers did not respond.
Though laws prohibit the sale of transplant organs, sperm donors have always received small payments, and prospective parents in the United States are allowed to compensate women for their far greater expenditure of time and energy. (Many countries, including Canada and Britain, do prohibit payments to egg donors.)
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine considers compensation of $5,000 or more to “require justification” and sums exceeding $10,000 “beyond what is appropriate.”
Meanwhile, advertisements recruiting students from elite universities to donate...
--snip--
That does not necessarily mean that the procedures are safe.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
American College of Pediatricians Calls for End to Embryonic Stem Cell Research cpforlife.org's thread
Pediatricians Call for Support for Adult Stem Cell Research That's the horses mouth saying embryonic stem cell research is, "fiscally irresponsible and medically unconscionable."
The truth is out there.
And “The X-Files” are here.
Not unrelated, see comment# 1.
Fuels Rush In (Biofuels May Cause More Pollution)
Hubble reveals ghostly ring of dark matter
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
What’s the over/under on how long until an “egg donor” gets sued for child support?
What an excellent idea to turn human reproduction into a commodity. Meanwhile, countless already-born children wait to be adopted.
LOL i was JUST thinking that.. what ever happened to equality?? SEXISM!! SEXISM I SAY!!
$1.59 a dozen for large at Kroger
If it had to be surgically removed maybe they could.
Eggs need to removed with a scalpel.
Sperm can be removed with a magazine.
That's the first question that popped in to my mind as well.
No doubt the legal vultures are already circling the carcass.
Though many egg donors derive great satisfaction from knowing that they helped someone start a family
*** Oh yes. Sure. It’s easy to feel good after getting a few thousand dollars.
heh
This artificial reproduction stuff is against nature. “surrogate mothers”, “sperm donors” and other nonsense is against the way we are made.
I don’t think they are against nature. They are part of nature because we crate them and we are a part of nature. But they are very dangerous and can be used for evil purposes, so great care needs to be taken.
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