Egg donation: where should market stand?

Abstract

Over the last twenty years, the demands of market have captured the reproductive medicine. As levels of infertility among women have been rising immensely, there is also an increased demand for eggs. This demand has lead to commercial egg donation. Commercial egg donation is defined as the monetary transaction between an affluent infertile couple and a fertile donor woman. The rapid growth of this practice has created concerns regarding the proper scope of the market. This thesis is interested in exploring what is morally at stake in the extension of market and market-oriented thinking in egg donation. In the discussion of commodification of human eggs, three archetypes in commodification issue are considered. One, full commmodification, holds that human eggs are suitable for market transfer; other, non-commodification, holds that eggs should never be subjected to market transfer; and the last one, incomplete commodification, holds eggs should be allowed to be bought and sold with some restrictions. After carefully considering the matter through the lens of morality, choice, and inequality under both non-ideal and ideal circumstances, it is suggested that the best way to avoid serious ethical concerns is to treat human eggs as incomplete commodities. This thesis concludes with the suggestions for the social-democratic model that would compensate women for their time and effort, and at the same time enforce strong regulation on egg donation.