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Re: Eggs for auction.From: J. Hellriegel (jhellrie@pce.net)Mon Oct 25 19:01:56 1999
At Mon, 25 Oct 1999, Cheri Van Hoover wrote: > >Robert J Woolley wrote: > >> > I think that there is a big difference between donating sperm at a set >> > price for all vs. offering sperm to the highest bidder. >> > >> > -- >> > John Hellriegel, Jr., MD, PhD >> > >> >> Why? If there are two sperm banks in town, and one pays more than the >> other, why do you think there's something wrong with donors choosing to go >> to the one that pays more? > >I think part of the ethical unease that many of us feel about the current >trend toward selling genetic material is the not-so-subtle message that some >people are worth more than other people. The eggs of beautiful, blonde, >athletic, academically-successful, tall young women are being bought for >substantially more money than those of women without those characteristics. >It brings to the forefront exactly which qualities are valued by our society. >Those whose talents lie in other areas, who may have "deviant" traits, or who >simply may not match the narrow standard of physical beauty described above >are devalued. > >My own daughter, who matches all of the aforementioned qualities, has >seriously considered putting her eggs on the market because of the huge sums >of money being offered. I was appalled. In our conversations about this >issue, some of the concerns I raised included my distrust of the motivations >and parenting capabilities of people who would set such a high price on these >particular qualities, my unwillingness to see my genetic grandchildren cast to >the winds without being able to provide the love and guidance I would want to >give them, and my concerns over the potential consequences (known and unknown) >of ovulation induction and ovum donation for my own daughter. I believe I >would feel much the same way if I had a son and he was going to sell his >sperm, though the potential health risks would not apply in his case. > >This is only one of many areas of Assisted Reproductive Technologies and >genetic testing that are challenging our views of what it means to be human >and how we place a value on our personal desires versus social needs. I think >it's a mistake to view any of these issues as purely economic without looking >at the deeper ethical considerations and social implications. > >-- >Cheri Van Hoover, CNM >San Francisco, CA > -- Doubt that I would have said it as well as you have. Thank you Cheri.
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