Letters to the Editor
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half a dozen of one...
men are financially compensated for sperm donation, for providing the genetic equivalent of half of a potential child; women should therefore be compensated for egg donation, on a cash basis or through an egg sharing program, for providing their half of a potential child (an egg is NOT a child and never will be a child unless fertilized, so arguments about "selling childen" don't hold up). and since donation for women involves drugs, invasive procedures, and significant time out of her life, they should receive more in terms of financial compensation.
as far as not permitting remuneration for donating eggs for stem cell research--no one wants to see an open market on kidneys. however, eggs are not at all equivalent to kidneys and other organs. unless you are born with a very small number of eggs, you're donating surplus material that otherwise might never be used. women who donate eggs for research should be offered compensation just as people who agree to test new medications or diets are compensated. all of them involve risks to the participants in the studies, and all are necessary for furthering scientific research. if you're going to panic over a 1.8% risk to egg donors from IVF medications, then in all fairness NO ONE should be allowed to volunteer as a guinea pig, since almost all research involves risks.