Chicks for Free

A big-deal cloning project in South Korea has been mucked up by ethics concerns about where and how scientists got their "donated" human eggs. Researchers stand accused of paying women for the eggs—currently illegal in South Korea—and possibly getting them from junior scientists at the same lab. Sez yesterday's WaPo:

When the research was submitted to Science, Hwang informed the journal that the eggs had been obtained voluntarily and without any payment to the women—an approach that many ethicists and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences agree is ideal—to ensure that women do not feel coerced to undergo the egg-retrieval procedure, which carries a small chance of serious ill effects.

It now appears that Roh did pay the women—about $1,500 each—according to Roh's comments in Chosun Ilbo.

It makes sense to discourage scientists from harvesting the eggs of their employees, and not just because it's insanely creepy. But why are South Korean lawmakers, and, for that matter, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, so concerned that women cough up their genetic material for free? More to the point, how is it less "coercive" to ask a college kid to supply some ova for the sake of science than for a measly $1500? Apparently, if scientists offer women cash, they'll feel "coerced" into accepting it. Whereas if scientists patiently explain that doping up on fertility drugs and surrendering the results is something a woman should do out of the goodness of her heart, we can start breeding clones with a clear conscience.