Paying women to donate their eggs unethical, dangerous and unnecessary, says SPUC

Paying women to donate their eggs unethical, dangerous and unnecessary, says SPUC Westminster, 21st February 2007--The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has condemned today's decision by the government's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to allow women to be paid £250 in "expenses" for donating their eggs for use in embryo experimentation. Anthony Ozimic, SPUC political secretary, commented: "For poorer women, this amount will be an incentive to donate their eggs, and it is unethical, dangerous and unnecessary. It is unethical because it is aimed at creating even more human lives in the laboratory, many of whom are killed outright or in dubious experiments. It is dangerous because the risks associated with the drugs given to stimulate the ovaries and the egg harvesting process include renal failure, infertility, cancer and even death. It is unnecessary because successful ethical alternatives to embryo destruction exist. "The commercialisation of human tissue is a serious threat to the inherent value of human life, which is a longstanding principle of ethics. To sell oneself, or parts of oneself, leads to devaluing of human beings. Human beings must be valued as persons; we are not commodities. The HFEA will in effect allow financial incentives for people to undergo risky procedures for the benefit of research, which is exploitative. It will be the poor and disadvantaged who will be attracted by this kind of financial reward. Exploiting vulnerable people is patently unethical."