Recent Article Covering Contractual Aspects of Egg Donation

With the help of our former intern, Christina Phillips, we stumbled upon this cover story from Santa Cruz's Good Times magazine.  It is a profile of Racquel Cool, who makes a living as an egg donor.  The article gives background on why Cool decided to become an egg donor and the process through which one registers with various services and gets matched up with couples in the market for viable eggs.

The article also provides the following interesting information about contractual aspects of egg donation:

• The contracts specify that the payment to the donor is not for the eggs but for her time, effort and discomfort;
• The payment, appropriately enough, since it is not a payment for the ova themselves, is the same regardless of the number of eggs harvested;
• The amount one is paid per donation increases if a donation results in a pregnancy;
• If the donor has a partner, s/he must also consent to the donation;
• While the practice is frowned upon by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, donors with especially prized qualities (athletes, Ivy League graduates, etc.) can sell their eggs (that is, their services) at much higher prices.

[JT]