Craig's List For Jewish Egg Donors

I continue to be surprised when a Craig List's "job shoot" in my Twitter inbox advertises for egg donors. It really is confirmation that what was once private is now a business transaction. 

This morning, on my Twitter timeline, I saw this ad:

JEWISH EGG DONOR NEEDED BY LOVING JEWISH COUPLE $20,000+not an agency

In Judaism the religious/ethnic line passes through the woman.  so, this unnamed couple has the criteria that the biological mother (the egg donor) must be Jewish and a preference that her biological father was also Jewish.  Other criteria include

• age,
• height,
• warm and caring personality,
• motivated and passionate,
• high self esteem
• highly intelligent (with tests to prove it: please include scores!)
• attractive
• a healthy body weight,
• non-smoker and drug free, and
• genetic disease free

Wow! All I can say to that is that they obviously know what they want.  Specific criteria gets you a narrower field of "job"applicants, but also may catch the eye of someone who fits them.

I actually need to process this before I say how I feel about it. Yes, it's great that this couple is being proactive in searching for assistance with their infertility. Yes, it makes Craig's List an additional resource for fertility patients and potential donors. The infertile couple has written the notice in a sincere and straightforward way.  However, it seems somewhat wrong...perhaps not ethically, but in poor taste.  Maybe I have been in England too long, where they do not allow egg donation to be compensated monetarily.  I'm not necessarily against it...the payment aspect of it. If that is the way to ensure that childless couples can become parents, fine. It's the advertisement, in such a transactional way, they may as well call themselves Hire-An-Egg.

Comments

[Rach]

I understand where you're coming from and posting an advert (in fact going after donor eggs) is something that BikerMan and I have already said we'd never do, our choice, as it is others to go down that route, some have no choice and if they want a family must bite the bullet.

I actually think that perhaps their ad is worded the way it is because they need to look at it from a completely removed sense. This is the way they are going to have to start their family, if they get too emotionally invested in it, they could cause themselves more heartache than they would endure otherwise (though there will usually be heartache no matter what unfortunately).

ICLW

[In Due Time]

Interesting. I agree with Rach, though. Maybe they are trying to do it from a removed stand point.

[WiseGuy]

It must not have been an easy realization to come to the stage of using donor eggs.

I just hope that the couple who gave thad ad did find somebody who fulfilled their criteria.

And yeah, the way the whole thing gets wrapped, it appears very impersonal, but maybe that will reduce the pain involved.

ICLW

[Lisa RM]

I just wonder about all the children born via anonymous donation. The money aspect I'm less concerned about (there are pain/invasive procedures involved), but what about kiddos who are some day old enough to have need of accurate family health histories? Or finds out that they're not related in a crisis situation?

[Brandy]

I echo what Wise Guy said. That is precisely the reason we don't want to go the donor sperm route. I struggle with how we would handle that. Do they have the right to know that their dad isn't their biological father? It makes your head spin if you think about it too long.

ICLW
www.brandysheaif.blogspot.com

[Eileen]

WOW! I have never seen such an ad on Craigslist and I hope I never do! I am all for egg donation, but remember that saying "beggars can't be choosers"? I think this couple needs to reread that phrase.

*ICLW*

[kathi]

I don't spend much time on Craigslist, but this is certainly not the sort of advertisement I would have ever expected to see. The creativity is evident, as is the sincerity and motivation, but there is something that still bothers me a bit that I can't quite put my finger on.

:: ICLW ::

[Missy]

I went to a very selective college. There were fairly often ads for eggs donors in our student newspaper. My friends and I would joke about doing it just because it would almost pay for a year's tuition.

ICLW

[Mrs. Gamgee]

It's hard to imagine feeling that advertising on something like Craigslist is an option, but perhaps they felt it was a last resort. On the surface it feels a little cold and emotionally removed, but maybe it's that way for a reason. Who knows what road they have traveled.

[surrogacy]

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