Lawmaker Wants to Ban Sale of Human Eggs

By Emily Wood, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY – State lawmakers are debating if women should be allowed to sell their eggs.

Rep. Rebecca Hamilton said she wrote the bill after her own struggles with infertility showed her an "inhumane" side of medicine. However, some doctors say if the bill passes, it could prevent some couples from having the families they've always wanted.

He said families who have trouble conceiving, frequently turn to clinics like his.

Dr. Gilbert Haas specializes in reproductive medicine

"To have to tell a family or couple they cannot have children, it's just devastating," Haas said.  

Dr. Haas said sometimes an egg donation from a young woman is the only option for conception. It can be costly process, but Haas said not a huge part of his bottom line.

"The physician probably makes 2 to 4 percent," he said. "Rest goes to medicines, the egg donor, and in vitro fertilization lab."

State Representative Rebecca Hamilton disagrees. She says buying eggs for babies has become a booming business.

"There are a handful of doctors making a great deal on money by harvesting eggs from women's bodies," she said.

Hamilton's House Bill 3077 would make it illegal to buy or sell a human egg.

Some medical professionals and families who have trouble conceiving say they fear women wouldn't donate at all without some type of compensation.

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