Ova donations spur ethical debate in Israel
- added July 11, 2008
- 5 responses
-
-
-
-
- aswift1
- added this
-
-
- related topics
-
- News and Politics (33812)
- News (15875)
- Sex and Love (4366)
- Women (1205)
- Israel (923)
- Reproductive issues (22)
- artificial insemination (8)
- Infertility (5)
As donated eggs run low for infertile couples in Israel, a push is on to widen the ranks of possible donors. But one of the country's oldest women's rights groups fears the possibility of financial exploitation and wants tighter oversight.
Ofra Balaban knows how important a gift of ova can be: She conceived her two sons with eggs donated more than a decade ago.
That was before allegations of ova theft in conjunction with a rising demand and donor restrictions contributed to a shortage of ova in Israel.
One scandal in particular, involving ovum extraction and medical dishonesty in 2000, has tainted the industry with the odor of exploitation and discouraged ova donors, who, by current law, can only be women who are undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment themselves.
Around 20,000 in vitro fertilization cycles are performed each year in Israel, a tiny country that is a world leader in fertility treatments and places a high value on having children for cultural, religious and demographic reasons. But only a fraction of women who go through IVF are willing or able to donate quality eggs to other women who want to conceive. It is estimated that some 3,000 women in Israel are waiting for egg donations.
"It began with the fact that there weren't enough," Balaban said. "But today, unfortunately, we have reached the situation where there are zero ova donations in Israel."
Ofra Balaban knows how important a gift of ova can be: She conceived her two sons with eggs donated more than a decade ago.
That was before allegations of ova theft in conjunction with a rising demand and donor restrictions contributed to a shortage of ova in Israel.
One scandal in particular, involving ovum extraction and medical dishonesty in 2000, has tainted the industry with the odor of exploitation and discouraged ova donors, who, by current law, can only be women who are undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment themselves.
Around 20,000 in vitro fertilization cycles are performed each year in Israel, a tiny country that is a world leader in fertility treatments and places a high value on having children for cultural, religious and demographic reasons. But only a fraction of women who go through IVF are willing or able to donate quality eggs to other women who want to conceive. It is estimated that some 3,000 women in Israel are waiting for egg donations.
"It began with the fact that there weren't enough," Balaban said. "But today, unfortunately, we have reached the situation where there are zero ova donations in Israel."
-
I'm surprised that the article didn't go into the religious aspect of this issue. It would have been more interesting if it had shown how Judaism could be used to both justify and denounce ova extraction.
Pro: The "go forth and multiply" commandment is one of the most important in the faith, and this procedure would most certainly help that order to be fulfilled.
Con: In order for this to not be considered "seed destruction", the husband's semen must be directly ejaculated into the wife. Since this is not the case, some hard liners place this practice on par with the sin committed by Onan. Also, since there is no sexual intercourse, this technically does not merit being called a mitzvah, and the "go forth and multiply" commandment is not fulfilled. -
Once AGAIN, Israel is in the news/on the mind, such propaganda, I don't hear any stories from Laos, Qatar, or Tajikistan?! Why, because we're conditioned to eat, dream about, and read about Isreael, it's brainwashing and bias.
Disgusting, and NO, I'm not an anti-Semite.-
-
-
-
- Wessagusset_Oracle
- 1 month ago
-
-
waiting till i turn 21 and then it's eggs-away!
-
-
-
-
- samonster34
- 1 month ago
-
Login/Registration is required to add a response.
