On October 25, 1999, the great egg auction began. There is
a web page on the Internet where models are selling their ovarian
eggs. This is completely legal in the United States. The model's
eggs start at $15,000 and are being sold for up to $150,000 (US).
Ron Harris named the web site after the TV show, Charlie's
Angels, and called his web page "Rons
Angels". |
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A couple may decide they want to have a child so they can
have something to share and it may symbolize their love for each
other. When you look at a child, you can most likely see some
characteristics of the mother and also some characteristics of
the father. Each time the mother or father looks into their child's
eyes, they can see the two different genes of the parents that
make up their child.
Now, keeping all that in mind, what if you were to look at
your very own child, the one you were in labour with for so many
hours, and the nine months of carrying, mood swings, and discomfort,
and so on, and the child doesn't even look remotely like you?
If you can honestly say that you don't mind, then you obviously
want a child for the wrong reasons.
In my opinion, a person that would want to give birth to a
child that actually isn't theirs has got some serious issues.
What is the world coming to? Now we can decide what we want our
child to look like and maybe even what they act like. There have
been cases where parents have advertised for the eggs of athletic
and intellectual students. This almost sounds like genetic engineering
or "create-a-child". Does anyone else realize this
is just like the toy "Mr. Potato Head"?
It has been said that a mother and a daughter share a certain
bond and that a son and a father share a certain bond. It could
even be the other way around. There are some personalities that
just naturally go together. If one of these mothers gave birth
using the model's egg, and was the mother of the baby for the
rest of their life, the chances that these two would "connect"
mentally are very low. Who knows? They may not even like each
other a little bit.
My overall concern about the selling of human eggs is that
people are messing with fate. If you were one of these children
that were bought, how would you feel? Would it create a very
negative opinion of your parents, knowing the decision that they
have made? Would you ever wonder if you did turn out the way
they wanted you to?
I can totally see one of these mothers (one who has purchased
and used an egg) deciding somewhere down the road that they don't
want the baby anymore, or that it is not pretty enough. If they
are so choosy that they have to look through pictures of models,
then decide what they want their child to look like, nine months
down the road there is a good chance they could change their
minds again. Anyone who thinks looks matter that much (so much
that a baby, who is adorable anyway, has to look a certain way)
obviously doesn't realize that it is what is inside that primarily
matters. By someone making this choice to buy an egg very clearly
shows their morals, and in my mind, is not fit to be a mother.
This article originally appeared
in The Attempt, the school newspaper at Hope
Secondary School in Hope, British Columbia. Check out the online
version of The
Attempt. |