The New York State Catholic Conference is reporting that the Empire State Stem Cell Board will recommend June 11 that state taxpayer funds be used to pay women to harvest their eggs (oocytes) for research purposes. To the tune of, oh, ten grand. Says Kathleen M. Gallagher, director of pro-life activities for the conference,
“The New York State Stem Cell Board is poised to facilitate the exploitation of low-income women by using taxpayer funds to pay for the retrieval of eggs. This is a grossly unethical, dangerous and exploitative move that treats women’s body parts as commodities. It must be rejected. If the Stem Cell Board itself moves forward with this proposal, then the state Legislature must act to prevent it.
“No other state in the union allows eggs-for-research payments, and for good reason. The Board is considering up to $10,000 per retrieval, which, in the current economic climate, will induce low-income women who are struggling to put food on their table to undergo this painful and dangerous procedure. Such women face serious health risks and loss of fertility. Vulnerable women should not be coerced into risking their health and their lives for speculative science with speculative benefits.
Seems like we’ve heard of taking advantage of the poor for “scientific research” before, eh?
