Britain OK's donation of human eggs, compensation
LONDON -- The British government has approved a plan to allow women to donate eggs for stem cell and cloning research and to be compensated for it -- an action that scientists hope will improve the supply of eggs.
Women getting costly fertility treatments will receive a discount if they donate eggs for research, authorities said. Others will receive up to 250 pounds -- about $500 -- for each fertilization cycle to cover costs such as travel or lost work time.
The eggs would be used to create cloned embryos, with the hope of extracting stem cells. Because stem cells have the potential to become any cell in the body, scientists believe they may ultimately help treat numerous ailments, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases and spinal cord injuries.
The United States and some other countries already allow human egg donations for research. The US has no national policy on payment, but some states limit it to reimbursing women for costs.
Human eggs for stem cell research are in short supply, and some researchers believe payment would improve the situation. They note patients are often paid for other medical experiments.
However, Wednesday's action by the British government worries some that it will exploit poor women, encouraging them to go through the tedious egg donor process just for money.
"It's exploitative because there will be women attracted even by the thought of getting 250 pounds from this," said Dr. Stephen Minger, director of the Stem Cell Laboratory at King's College in London. "I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of selling tissue and body parts."
Other experts accused authorities of playing down the little-known health risks to potential egg donors.
But the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, which advised the government, stressed that payments would go only to cover expenses. "No one would be handing out money for donated eggs," said Gemma Wilkie, a spokeswoman for the authority. "We are only talking about recompense for costs incurred."
