US clinic sparks debate with UK human egg raffle

Mar 17, 2010
By MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer

LONDON (AP) -- An American infertility clinic seeking business in Britain prompted fierce criticism by offering free eggs from a U.S. woman to one participant in a promotional seminar in London on Wednesday.

The event has sparked a debate in Britain about the ethics of an event that many said violated the spirit, if not the letter, of a European Union law forbidding fertile women from being paid for their eggs. the rest image

The clinic's prize is worth more than $10,000 - a $6,000 fee for the donor and $4000 in medical costs associated with the hormone treatment and egg retrieval.