Egg Donor & Surrogacy Law Blog : Surrogacy and Egg Donation Lawyer & Attorney : Theresa Erickson : Erickson Law Firm : Practicing Reproductive and Gestational Carrier Law

Wow, it has been almost two full weeks since I last blogged - to much time out of the office traveling, and I am jet lagged! 

However, with the bad news surrounding several agencies, including Surrogenesis, I wanted to provide everyone a link to the AFA's new Educational Modules.  Watch the video on How to Select a Surrogacy and Egg Donation Agency. 

Let me know what you think, and feel free to post comments. 

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Science Daily  posted a great article today that is food for thought for all of us in this field, as well as those participants in third party reproduction, whether it is the sperm donor, the egg donor, the embryo donor, the parents or the children themselves. 

It appears that the research points to a positive end result, but judge for yourselves.

"The study in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction, found that parents set out to find their children's donor and other donor siblings through feelings of curiosity and a desire to enhance their children's sense of identity, and without expecting any very close contact. However, once they had identified the donor and their children's donor siblings, they not only found the experiences of contacting and meeting the donor siblings very positive, but in many cases formed close and continuing bonds."

The article continues, "One of these papers is an editorial commentary by Dr Pim Janssens, an associate editor of Human Reproduction. Writing about Dr Freeman's study, he says: 'Overall, these findings suggest that knowledge of donor sibling families is a good thing, and that disclosure of the donor identity makes sense, and need not be a problem. They also suggest that for many parents and children, having only information about donors is not satisfactory – real encounters are the ultimate desire. Unexpectedly these findings might also lead us to question the importance of a common family history for the creation of 'family feeling'. After all, none of the donor families calling their donor sibling relatives shared anything but genes. Nonetheless, many said they felt intuitively bonded.'

Click Here for the Complete Article

Theresa M. Erickson, Esq.
Surrogacy Lawyer & Egg Donation Lawyer 
www.EricksonLaw.net

Subscribe to my blog at: http://www.surrogacyeggdonorblog.com/subscribe.html

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I just found this great piece from Melissa Ford of Stirrup Queens (great blog, by the way!) on why egg donor (or "egg suppliers") should be compensated.  With all the articles running on the exploitation of egg donors, I thought that this was a timely discussion.  Let me know your thoughts on this one.

"Back in college, the popular way to make beer money was to sell your plasma. It was so popular that the student handbook listed the plasma center along with a few local dry cleaner recommendations and coupons to a sandwich shop. I'm not sure what the going rate was back in 1992, but a quick search online yielded that the going rate for plasma is about $70/week (two donations a week at $35 each).What made me think of this today? Because I read an argument against compensating egg donors stating that no other donated body part or product receives financial compensation. And that's just not true, there's plasma. In fact, it is legal in America to be financially compensated for cells, though you cannot be compensated for organs.

FoxNews reported back in November that plasma donations were up as first time donors stepped up to earn gas and grocery money by selling their blood product, which brings us to Salon's article this week on Broadsheet discussing the increase in egg donors and the ethics of paid donations. Quoting a recent Boston Herald article and the constant discussions around the Internet on this topic from the Wall Street Journal to the Washington Post, the post begins: "In these stark economic times, what's a gal to do when the creditors have the phone ringing off the hook or when her boss shovels her onto the fast-growing pile of the nation's unemployed? For an increasing number of women, it means considering selling their eggs for anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000."

Donations are, by their very definition, gifts without compensation. I fully agree with anyone who argues that donors who receive compensation are not donors by definition; though I also argue that donor is an antiquated word that no longer holds meaning in our society. Political donors give money with gain both tangible and intangible in mind from access to positions within an administration to simply having your desired party in place when policy is being decided. Philanthropic donors gets a building named after them after they cough up a ten million dollar check. It's not that there aren't people out there doing something for nothing, but most people want recognition of their gift, if not financial compensation.

If it helps, we can rename egg donors "egg suppliers" instead.

Tracy Clark-Flory did a fantastic job on the Salon piece pointing out that donors who are solely financially-driven usually do not make it through the rigorous screening process required of all potential donors (though returns with an alarmist final thought on financial desperation). Those who donate solely to make money with no regard to the enormity of the task on hand--emotionally or physically (for themselves, their recipient, and any children born of their gametes)--are generally left disappointed with a rejection slip. Over 90% of wannabe donors do not make it to that first lupron needle."

Click Here for Complete Article

Theresa M. Erickson, Esq.
Surrogacy Lawyer & Egg Donation Lawyer 
www.EricksonLaw.net

Subscribe to my blog at: http://www.surrogacyeggdonorblog.com/subscribe.html

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 Parents via Egg Donation has made the news!  The Oregonian has written a piece about the organization and Marna that you really must read.

"All over the world, women who can't give birth using their own eggs are becoming pregnant with eggs donated by others.

Many turn for information and support to a nonprofit organization called Parents Via Egg Donation, founded by a woman named Marna Gatlin. Those who've been helped by the organization call themselves "friends of Marna."

Marna lives right here in Oregon.

There's not a lot Marna doesn't know about giving birth using donor eggs. Eight years ago, she was part of the process herself.

At that point, she'd been trying to get pregnant for more than a decade. Marna says she miscarried nine times. Her marriage couldn't stand the stress; she and her husband divorced."

Click Here for the Complete Article

Be a Friend of Marna, and Donate Now

Theresa M. Erickson, Esq.
Surrogacy Lawyer & Egg Donation Lawyer 
www.EricksonLaw.net

Subscribe to my blog at: http://www.surrogacyeggdonorblog.com/subscribe.html

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Research done by the University of Washington was released this week in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility determined that two-thirds of women who donated their eggs reported satisfaction, with 16% complaining of subsequent physical symptoms and 20% reporting lasting psychological effects. This is the first study done to examine the long term effects of egg donation.

In fact, as I discussed in my piece on egg donation yesterday, the researchers were surprised at the low number of women who reported an awareness of possible physical risk prior to donation. Nearly 63% viewed the potential risk as minor, with 20% not recalling that they were made aware of physical risks at the time of their first donation. 

Researchers also noted that the women may be forgetting what they were told as it had been quite a while between the donations and this study. They also felt that many of the young women discounted the risk at the time that they donated because of their age. “Risks don’t mean much to young women,” according to Nancy Kenney, UW Associate Professor of Psychology and Women Studies and the lead author of the study.

Of the women who reported physical problems, bloating, pain and cramping, ovarian hyperstimulation, mood changes, irritability, or weight gain or loss were the common complaints, with several claiming infertility, decreased fertility or damage to their ovaries. 

However, most of the women (73%) reported being aware of some of the psychological risks associated with egg donation prior to donating. 

The women were split on why they donated – 32% said their motivations were solely based on helping others, while 19% said financial concerns were their sole reason. The remaining women cited a combination of altruistic and monetary reasons for their donation.

This research was based on the input of 80 women who donated for the first time at least two years before they filled out the research questionnaire and were an average of 30.6 years when surveyed.

Complete Press Release Here

Theresa M. Erickson, Esq.
Surrogacy Lawyer & Egg Donation Lawyer 
www.EricksonLaw.net

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