|
An increasing number of Korean-American women in California sell their egg cells in the grey market, the U.S. edition of the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported.
It is legal under Californian law for a woman to be compensated for donating her ova, but Korean-American couples are apparently shopping around for eggs that promise the highest return on investment, opening a Pandora¡¯s box of ethical and health issues. In Los Angeles¡¯ Korea town, hospitals are recruiting women in need of ready cash with ads that offer US$5,000 per procedure.
One 25-year-old woman told the daily she made more than $10,000 selling eggs to a clinic on three occasions and solicited takers by describing herself in ads as a prime specimen, ¡°170 cm tall, 48 kg, beautiful, graduate of well-regarded university.¡±
A gynecologist said deals ¡°where the amount of money a donor receives is contingent on her qualifications raises definite ethical questions.¡± The doctor warned that the long-term effects of multiple egg donations -- and the hormones that accompany those procedures -- on a young woman's health is unknown.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
