When I received a copy of "Confessions of a Serial Egg Donor" by Julia Derek, I read it with caution, expecting a lecture on the miscalculated risks of egg donation. It was not long before I realized I was reading the personal memoir of a young egg donor who became overly obsessed with money.
Donating one batch of eggs after another -- 12 donations when she or, more accurately, her body finally quit -- Julia accumulated thousands of dollars and used the infertility of couples to make a living.
When I finished the book and considered writing a column, I had one question: What would Jesus do? That infamous phrase that supposedly answers all society's problems.
Sadly, the life of Jesus did not include interaction with egg and sperm donors. So what are we as society to do?
Payments for donating eggs and sperm have risen from a couple hundred dollars in the early 1980s to roughly tens of thousands of dollars now.
With college women as a primary target, infertile couples offer large amounts of dollars for an egg with high GPA potential, athletic star capability and the beauty genes of Miss America.
I vividly remember an ad from my first year at Northwestern: "Egg Donor Wanted. Infertile couple looking for tall (5'9" approximately), athletic, 3.6 GPA and 1300+ SAT. Compensation: $10,000."
In our society, I assume donation characterizes an altruistic act of giving that does not entail any monetary reimbursement for the donor. Egg donation entails money and therefore should be renamed egg selling.
If anyone shudders at the sight of that name, it's fairly understandable. Imagine men and women selling their kidneys and blood on an open market. It is obvious when money enters the equation, an act can easily lose its altruistic characteristics.
What makes sex prostitution? Money.
The money involved with the egg and sperm market contradicts the whole idea of donation. The medical field, at some point, must decide if it is working under the idea of altruism or exchange. If monetary reimbursement is justified for egg and sperm donation, then why isn't it for organ donation? Both procedures require somewhat risky surgeries. The large amounts of money given to egg donors are not justified by a risky surgery unless the same justification is given to organ donors.
On the other hand, if medical providers truly want altruism to be the motivating factor behind egg and sperm donation (and any other donation), monetary reimbursements cannot be a part of the process. Derek's 12 donations clearly represent an anomaly in the market. But her desire to cash in on an infertile couple's longing desire and pay a few bills is very ordinary.
Which side is more moral? I argue that no one can make an incontestable argument for either side. If we only knew what Jesus would do, dealing with technological advances would be oh-so easy. Not really: I have a Hindu friend who may disagree with Jesus. A Muslim friend... a Jewish friend...
Kurt Davis is a Health & Sexuality columnist. He can be reached at kurt@cavalierdaily.com
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