The mark-up on human eggs
As ads in Ivy League newspapers offer up to $50,000 for "extraordinary eggs," a debate breaks out over inflation in the reproductive market

The concept of the free market has, it seems, led to rising prices for highly desirable human eggs. Although the American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends paying egg donors no more than $10,000, a controversial new study in The Hastings Center Report, a bioethics journal, found that ads in student newspapers and on Facebook promise ideal donors up to $50,000, and that graduates from top colleges can get thousands of dollars extra for their eggs, with fees rising in step with a school's average SAT scores.
Donors deserve something for their time and pain, says Tracy Clark-Flory in Salon, but the promise of a huge windfall can make young women conceal medical problems or make reckless decisions they'll regret. Reproductive medicine industry spokesman Sean Tipton, as quoted in The New York Times, says the concerns over "regret" smacks of sexism: "You never hear discussions about, 'Oh, the sperm donor is going to regret it some day." Watch an ABC News report on the ethical implications of inflation in the egg market:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Trade war with China threatens U.S. economy
Feature Trump's tariff battle with China is hitting U.S. businesses hard and raising fears of a global recession
By The Week US
-
Corruption: The road to crony capitalism
Feature Trump's tariff pause sent the stock market soaring — was it insider trading?
By The Week US
-
China Shock 2.0
Feature An overflow of Chinese goods is flooding the global market. Tariffs won’t stop it.
By The Week US