Yet another reaction to the Hastings Center report, this time in the New York Times (“Payment Offers to Egg Donors Prompt Scrutiny“).
Here’s the shocker: people are willing to pay more for highly desirable egg donors! This is hardly news, although it is reported as such.
These outrageous offers get publicity, but they are far from the mainstream, and in fact, probably bogus. For many recipients, compensation within the ethical limits can be a hardship.
Any SART and ASRM registered clinic pledges to abide by the guidelines of these organizations. If a clinic works with an agency donor, the clinic should make sure that the agency complies with these guidelines as well. Some clinics require a letter from us testifying to our compliance. Plenty of agencies are members of SART, even though the article implies otherwise.
Related posts:
- ASRM Guidelines on Egg Donor Compensation Challenged in Lawsuit
Any legitimate IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinic or egg donation agency in the U.S. must abide by guidelines to maintain ASRM membership status....- International Egg Donation and Surrogacy Program to Launch
NAFG has launched a specialized International Program offering comprehensive egg donation and surrogacy programs for citizens of the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and beyond. The International Program offers one-stop customized assistance, including:...
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May 13th, 2010 at 11:26 am
I am going to stick my neck out here and say that while plenty of agencies are members of SART — SART and ASRM don’t enforce their guidelines. It’s been my experience that there are agencies who have signed the agreement of abiding by the compensation guidelines and then compensating egg donors way outside of those guidelines.
I think ABC got it wrong. I think NYT reported what they found from the Hastings Report. While I think Dr. Levine’s study was accurate based on the information he gathered he could have gone further with it if he really wanted to find out what drove donor selection with regards to intended parents.
Less than 1% of intended parents pay over 50k for a donor cycle.
And personally I think there is nothing wrong with selecting an egg donor that matches your criteria regardless of what that criteria is.
No one says a word about who we select as a life partner, why should we be judged on our donor selection.
Make sense?
May 14th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Yes, agreed. The journalism coverage I encounter regarding egg donation tends to focus on these inflated compensations and other sensationalistic aspects, rather than the day to day real-life situations of recipients and donors. This is just how journalism works in general, I suppose.
It is indeed easier for agencies (rather than clinics) to be unscrupulous. NAFG is SART and ASRM registered; SART officials have commented on our site to make sure we are crystal clear about their guidelines as they are described throughout our pages. SART compliance is essential for us to maintain our fine relationships with the best clinics, as well as to attract the best donors and clients.