Egg Donation: More Guidelines Than Rules

Apparently, there are very few laws governing the donation of human eggs. Then again, the process of in vitro fertilization is relatively new. The problem is, this relatively new industry is self-regulated, meaning that there are guidelines, but it is up to each fertility clinic to see that those guidelines are followed. The Hastings Center, a bioethics research center, has recently taken a survey of ads for egg donors and has found gross violations of the standards set by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Those two bodies set guidelines that limit the amount of compensation for donors to $5000 and in special circumstances $10,000. According to the Science Daily, the report found many advertisements offering donors over $10,000 and as much as $50,000. In addition to those violations, the report also found that ads specified desired ethnic characteristics and appearance, which is strictly against the ASRM guidelines.

Aside from violations, the report noted an interested trend. At universities and colleges where the average SAT score is higher, advertised compensation for donors is also higher. In fact, if one college's average SAT score was 100 points higher than another college's, the "smarter" college attracted donor ads offering $2350 more in compensation.

So what's the problem? The Science Daily article offers an interesting quote from John A. Robertson of the University of Texas: "After all, we allow individuals to choose their mates and sperm donors on the basis of such characteristics. Why not choose egg donors similarly?" And I would have to agree. So what if smarter kids are more desirable? So what if straight hair and blue eyes are more valuable? After all, they are paying for the service, so shouldn't recipients of eggs get the same options as sperm recipients? I can't think of a justifiable reason for those such guidelines.

As for compensation, however, I am undecided. How did the ASRM decide on $5000? It seems rather arbitrary. While I can see larger amounts pressuring people to "donate", I don't see larger amounts as a threat to quality reproductive material. What do you think? Should egg donors be compensated? Should there be a limit on that compensation? Should recipients be allowed to discriminate against lesser physical and mental characteristics?