The National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 banned the buying and selling of human organs. However, the law still allows people to be compensated for “donating” blood, sperm, or eggs. Reproduction clinics often direct their marketing at female college students who are likely to have the traits desired by couples seeking a donor egg, and who might also have the financial burdens that come with being a college student. Advocates of compensating egg donors point to how these women are helping couples achieve their dreams of having a family. Those who are oppose it, on the other hand, argue that these companies are exploiting women who are desperate financial need, and that they are doing so without the donors fully understanding the pain and risks involved in the procedure.
- Do you think that paying women for their eggs should be legal? Why or why not?
- What moral responsibility do such clinics have for caring for donors who have complications from the procedure years down the road?
- Should companies that are targeting college students for such procedures be allowed to market directly to them with flyers, emails, or ads in student newspapers? Why or why not?
