Dear Drake: whether you decide that Natural Insemination (NI) or Artificial Insemination (AI) is the…
read more »
A new bill that is being introduced in California could change things for women who donate their eggs for research. Currently, women can be compensated in cases where their eggs are donated for fertility treatments, where the standard payment is between $5000 to $10,000. It’s uncommon for women to voluntarily give their eggs for research due to the fact that it’s invasive, time-consuming and can lead to a shortage of healthy eggs. That, and there is no compensation. The new bill authored by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, would allow women to be compensated for their time, trouble and inconvenience when donating eggs for research. “Getting this research back on track will benefit a great number of women,” said Bonilla in a Huffington Post interview.
Lori Arnold of the California Family Council has concerns, saying Bonilla’s bill opens up “dangerous medical ground.” The family council — an anti-abortion group that promotes Christian principles in policy — said eggs should be treated like organs and should not be sold. “Eggs are a foundational element for life,” said Arnold, the family council’s research analyst. “We support legislation that honors that. In this case, we believe it dishonors life and is subject to abuse.”
According to Bonilla, the bill would simply lift an unnecessary restriction agains women and their eggs when it comes to being compensated like other research subjects. Assembly Bill 926 would replace current law adopted in 2006 that stipulates egg donors be given “no payment in excess of the amount of reimbursement of direct expenses incurred as a result of the procedure” when performed for medical research.
