One of the common problem during the IVF cycle is insufficient eggs formation in the ovary of the intended mother. Experts often recommend for availing egg donation to pursue the IVF treatment. Therefore, IVF and egg donation is quite a common recommendation in the fertility treatment comes under ART. Some may think egg donation is as similar to sperm donation. But retrieving eggs is a riskier and difficult process than sperm donation. In egg donation program, both egg donor, as well as egg recipients, play a novel role to raise up a child. An egg donor usually has no gestational role with her genetic offspring, while the egg recipient has no direct genetic relation with the child she gives births and raises up.
Ethical challenges Egg donation compensation
At the initial phase, when the egg donation program introduced, that time it gets little ethical attention, as it had thought egg donation and sperm donation program have the same concerns. But gradually, when people aware details of this process, independent ethical issues of egg donation program is open up. Some of the substantial ethical issues of egg donation program are as follows:
- There is a separation of female genetic connection and gestational connection with the born child.
- The inaccessibility and scarcity of high-quality egg due to the age limit of the egg donor is one of the highest concern.
- Ethical issues also concerning the future relationship of a born child, egg donor and the family who raise up the child with genetically different from intended mother. In this ethical issue, genetic and gestational parentage is highly measured.
- Individual consent taking along with uncovering the risk factors and actual compensation for commercial egg donation are also a considerable ethical concern. Even commercialization of egg donation is also ethically not allowed in many countries.
- Some country like Rome has advocated that civil law be passed for banning the egg donation program, as they believe a third party introduced and that can hamper the marital relation by extrication sexual relationship followed with reproduction process.
- Many people, especially Catholic thinkers have strong opposition against gamete donation, as "third party" interferes with the marital relationship. However, every individual has their own thinking process. The above mentioned ethical consideration may not be considered for every individual.
Legal challenges Egg donation compensation
Some legal challenges also hinder the egg donation program, which included the following:
- Specific jurisdiction law not yet introduced for universal cause of application of egg donation.
- In most of the countries, the offspring do not have the legal right to know their genetic mother. However, this is not universally maintained, some countries like Australia, Great Britain have more liberal attainment in this aspect.
- There are no jurisdictions strictly have the provision to maintaining the egg donation data along with record keeping of egg donor's details.
- Egg donor and her spouse are completely excluded from the all legal rights of the offspring. Whereas, egg recipients and her husband get legal right of the child. But neither egg donor's nor egg recipient's husband has the right to stop donating the egg and accepting egg respectively. But no written consent was taken from the donor's spouse. However, both intended parents play a major role in egg donation contract agreement.
- Multiple egg donation is unethical, as it increases the risk of an egg donor. However, there is no global stringent rule to completely stop such donation.
- Intra-familial egg donation is acceptable in many countries and usually does not cause any ethical confrontation. However, in some cases, legal issues, as well as ethical concern, hampers the future life of the offspring.
- Commercial egg donation is legal in most of the countries. However, there is no universal law of payment method. Therefore, exploitation of poor egg donor often facing social criticism.