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Nancy Flanders
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International·By Bridget Sielicki
Turkish authorities arrest dozens in international egg trafficking scheme
Turkish authorities have arrested dozens of people believed to be involved in what is being called an "international human reproductive cell trafficking network."
Turkish authorities have announced the arrests of people involved in an illegal egg trafficking network.
Forty-one (41) women reportedly traveled outside the country to sell their eggs, with investigators determining there were 811 sales.
Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said egg trafficking disregards human dignity and bodily integrity.
On Monday, Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced arrests in correlation with the egg trafficking network, which extended to Northern Cyprus, Albania and Georgia, generating around two million euros.
“Turkish citizen women were directed abroad and engaged in egg sales in exchange for financial gain," he explained.
Gürlek said authorities were pursuing judicial proceedings against 53 people, including 41 alleged egg 'donors,' two OB/GYNs, four travel organizers, and one 'ringleader,' Of those, 36 have been arrested, one is already in prison, and there are warrants out for 16 more.
An investigation, which found that Turkish women were leaving the country to sell their eggs to IVF clinics abroad, was launched after a complaint submitted to the Presidential Communication Center (CİMER).
“Within the scope of the investigation, it was determined that a total of 811 egg sales were conducted by 41 women,” Gürlek noted.
Egg and sperm donation are strictly prohibited in Turkey.
Apart from the moral implications of women selling their eggs so that others can create children (who will likely grow up never knowing their biological mothers, nor their family health, background, or heritage), there are also health risks to the women.
One of the complications is Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS), which causes the ovaries to swell and become painful. Severe cases may require hospitalization. Additionally, the long-term effects of large doses of hormones to mature as many eggs as possible have not been studied.
Jennifer Lahl, the founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, told Live Action's Lila Rose that reproductive health companies market egg 'donation' as an easy way to make money in order to lure vulnerable women.
"The marketing is very slick. When two of my daughters were students at the University of California Berkeley, their school paper had an ad: $100,000 for an elite donor. So it’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.”
On X, Gürlek further expounded on the country's fight against illegal egg trafficking.
“We are steadfastly continuing our fight against criminal organizations that direct women into illegal reproductive cell trafficking, disregarding human dignity and bodily integrity ...
No financial gain is above human dignity and bodily integrity. Under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, we will resolutely continue our efforts to uncover all connections of criminal organizations, identify those responsible and ensure they are held accountable."
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·
Issues
Nancy Flanders
·
Issues
Nancy Flanders
·
International
Bridget Sielicki
·
International
Bridget Sielicki
·
International
Bridget Sielicki
·
Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·
Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·International·By Bridget Sielicki
Turkish authorities arrest dozens in international egg trafficking scheme
Turkish authorities have arrested dozens of people believed to be involved in what is being called an "international human reproductive cell trafficking network."
Turkish authorities have announced the arrests of people involved in an illegal egg trafficking network.
Forty-one (41) women reportedly traveled outside the country to sell their eggs, with investigators determining there were 811 sales.
Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said egg trafficking disregards human dignity and bodily integrity.
On Monday, Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced arrests in correlation with the egg trafficking network, which extended to Northern Cyprus, Albania and Georgia, generating around two million euros.
“Turkish citizen women were directed abroad and engaged in egg sales in exchange for financial gain," he explained.
Gürlek said authorities were pursuing judicial proceedings against 53 people, including 41 alleged egg 'donors,' two OB/GYNs, four travel organizers, and one 'ringleader,' Of those, 36 have been arrested, one is already in prison, and there are warrants out for 16 more.
An investigation, which found that Turkish women were leaving the country to sell their eggs to IVF clinics abroad, was launched after a complaint submitted to the Presidential Communication Center (CİMER).
“Within the scope of the investigation, it was determined that a total of 811 egg sales were conducted by 41 women,” Gürlek noted.
Egg and sperm donation are strictly prohibited in Turkey.
Apart from the moral implications of women selling their eggs so that others can create children (who will likely grow up never knowing their biological mothers, nor their family health, background, or heritage), there are also health risks to the women.
One of the complications is Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS), which causes the ovaries to swell and become painful. Severe cases may require hospitalization. Additionally, the long-term effects of large doses of hormones to mature as many eggs as possible have not been studied.
Jennifer Lahl, the founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, told Live Action's Lila Rose that reproductive health companies market egg 'donation' as an easy way to make money in order to lure vulnerable women.
"The marketing is very slick. When two of my daughters were students at the University of California Berkeley, their school paper had an ad: $100,000 for an elite donor. So it’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.”
On X, Gürlek further expounded on the country's fight against illegal egg trafficking.
“We are steadfastly continuing our fight against criminal organizations that direct women into illegal reproductive cell trafficking, disregarding human dignity and bodily integrity ...
No financial gain is above human dignity and bodily integrity. Under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, we will resolutely continue our efforts to uncover all connections of criminal organizations, identify those responsible and ensure they are held accountable."
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·Issues
Nancy Flanders
·Issues
Nancy Flanders
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·