|
Looking for a
Surrogate Mother or an egg donor?
This book
is a moving real-life account of one woman's struggle
with infertility and her journey through surrogacy to
have the family she desperately wanted.
Click here
for more details
Latest Surrogacy News
US fertility safaris to city
offer women R13 000 for eggs
April 22, 2004 By
Jo-Anne Smetherham
Cape Times
An American agency is organising "fertility safaris" in
Cape Town and offering local women R13 000 to donate
their eggs - a practice that might be illegal and is
under investigation by the Department of Health.
A city newspaper reported yesterday that a Santa
Barbara-based agency organises treatment for infertile
Americans at the Cape Fertility Clinic in Claremont.
The American patients reportedly pay around R61 000 in
total, much of this in medical costs, and can return
home after only 12 days with a fertilised egg implanted.
The Renew Body and Soul agency also organises art,
music, "bodywork" and other tourist activities on the
trip.
The agency's website posts photographs of dozens
"attractive, intelligent" Cape Town women willing to
sell their eggs.
There are photographs of some of the women as toddlers
and young children on the site, which also describes of
each donor woman's height, weight, hair and eye colour,
hobbies and "ethnic origins", which in most cases list
several European countries.
White, black women and women "of colour" are listed.
David Bass, legal adviser for the Western Cape Health
Department, said yesterday a colleague had told him
about the R13 000 payments two days ago.The colleague
reported that advertisements for egg donors had been
posted at the University of Cape Town medical school
campus.
Bass will investigate the legality of these payments.
While it is legal to pay medical professionals for
fertility treatment, the Human Tissue Act of 1983 states
that donors may only be paid in kind for donating
tissue, sperm or eggs.
"I'm not quite sure that you could consider R13 000 to
be payment in kind," Bass said.
"It's worryingly like solicitation.
"My feeling is that it is a lot of money, and it could
be seen as an incentive to students. We need to check if
this is contravening the law."
If the provincial health department found the donations
to be illegal, it would refer the matter to the national
health department for an investigation into whether the
payments were happening in other parts of the country.
The case would then be handed over to the police.
Paul le Roux, a doctor at the Cape Fertility Clinic,
said yesterday the clinic played no part in the R13 000
payments.
The clinic pays the women small amounts in compensation
for their visits to the clinic, "but we don't agree with
egg donors being paid a large amount", he said.
back to top |
