By Greta Haussmann
The CUA Anscombe Society recently hosted a movie screening of “Eggsploitation,” which was followed by a discussion with Christopher White from the Center for Bioethics and Culture.
“Eggsploitation” is a documentary that was produced by the Center for Bioethics and Culture that exposes third party reproduction for what it really is—exploitative and inhumane.
I expected to become more informed from the documentary—and I did. I expected to confirm my own beliefs that third party reproduction is inherently immoral—and I did. However, I did not expect to experience remorse for the women that have agreed to sell their eggs—but I did. After watching the film, I felt traumatized by the experiences of the egg donors and disgusted by the treatment provided by egg donation agencies.
Here are the top three things that I learned from watching “Eggsploitation:”
1. The Commodification of the Human Person
According to the Center for Bioethics and Culture, egg donors have to go through a lengthy application process in order to be accepted for the procedure (which is in fact biased by those purchasing the eggs). Rather than treating the egg donor as an individual with unique traits and qualities, she is often treated as a commodity to be obtained and purchased. Those who are purchasing eggs do not care about the intrinsic value of the person selling their eggs; rather they care about their superficial and physical characteristics. Not only is the application process focused on the commodification of the human person, but also it does nothing to ensure the safety of the donor. The entire application process focuses on ensuring that those purchasing the eggs receive the best genetic material possible, instead of the person selling their eggs.
2. Lack of Medical Monitoring
Due to the fact that egg donation agencies have not been tracking or monitoring the young women that have donated eggs for the past thirty years, it is difficult to thoroughly assess the complications associated with egg donation. Nevertheless, it is known that Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is a short-term complication, affecting ten to twenty percent of egg donors. OHSS usually occurs because the woman donating her eggs is not monitored after she is given medication that causes her to rapidly produce eggs (whereas the “expectant mother” is closely monitored throughout the entire process).
3. The Dark Side of Anonymity
There are barely any definitive statistics regarding those who donate their eggs. We don’t even have a solidified number of how many women have donated their eggs, since no database or registry for tracking these statistics exists. Egg donation agencies are so obsessed with the anonymity of the process that they fail to keep track of those making third party reproduction possible. Furthermore, due to the lack of research on behalf of the egg donors, it is unknown how many deaths have been caused from the complications of egg donation. The anonymity of this process might be beneficial to those seeking the egg donation, but for those donating their eggs it only makes the process more dangerous. If we are unaware of the harms caused from the egg donation process, then how can we successfully advocate for women’s health?
Clearly there is great need for reform when it comes to egg donation and I would highly recommend this film to all who seek to educate themselves on this issue.
Greta Haussman is a Junior at Catholic University of America, a theology major with minors in media studies and philosophy, and president of CUAncombe Society.
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