Opponents are speaking out against a campaign to recruit sperm and egg donors in Scotland, noting that the government’s “appalling use” of money in the campaign has attracted just 16 people without warning those potential donors of the risks involved.
Records show that the Scottish government spent a total of £185,518.44 (nearlty $234,000 USD) in advertising for its campaign, launched in 2021, to encourage people to become egg and sperm donors. Parts of the campaign included messaging that told people they “could give the joy of starting a family to those who need help becoming parents” and that “NHS Scotland needs egg and sperm donors for those who need your help to create a loving family.”
But what was missing in that messaging were the risks of donation — particularly egg donation.
“We were horrified when we discovered the Scottish Government had spent over £135,999 of public money targeting women and men as young as 18 for their gametes in two campaigns in 2021 and 2022. We consider this to be an appalling use of public money,” said Helen Gibson, founder of the group Surrogacy Concern.
Gibson went on:
No health risks were listed on the adverts, and yet we know young women are at higher risk for complications arising from egg retrieval than older women.
Two women in the UK died from complications arising from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in 2005 and 2006, a condition which is caused by egg retrieval, and for which there is no cure.
We have been contacted by women who have nearly died from OHSS, and who have suffered bowel perforation, abscesses, and passing out from the pain during egg harvesting procedures.
She emphasized that the government should not be spending money on promoting such risky procedures. “That young women could be targeted by the state to endure this for the benefit of others defies belief,” she said. “This is not territory the state should be straying in to. We urge the Scottish Government to drop this campaign and not repeat it.”
Though egg donation and surrogacy are often touted as positive, there are many problems with these methods, both for the woman and the child who may be potentially conceived. Jennifer Lahl, the founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, spoke to Live Action founder and president Lila Rose about many of these dangers last year.
“[I]t’s very eugenic, it’s very selective. It’s all flowery, ‘Make dreams come true,’ ‘Help a family.’ You’ll see young girls who have sold their eggs say, ‘Well you have so many eggs, I’m not using them anyway.’ So there’s this lure, and people go, ‘Well I like to help people and, sure, that money sounds great and I’m not using my eggs right now. Why not sell some?’ But, there’s the drugs,” Lahl explained.
“At the end of the day, they’re selling their children. And two of the women in [the documentary] ‘Eggsploitation’ lost their ability to ever have their own children. So their fertility was permanently damaged.”
She added, “We’re not satisfied with the baby who comes from the loving union of a man and his wife, a woman and her husband. Our children are now products.”
