[Letter to Editor | Science] Oocyte Donation for Stem Cell Research

The newly issued International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research (G. Q. Daley et al., Policy Forum, 2 Feb., p. 603) include worthy goals and lofty language about truth and transparency in biomedical research, dissemination of research benefits “to humanity at large on just and reasonable terms,” and discussion of enhancing the informed consent process for the procurement of tissues and gametes (1).

But the guidelines would in fact weaken important ethical standards that have already been established. We are particularly concerned about the recommendation that decisions about paying women for their eggs should be left to mostly local oversight committees.

This is a complex social and ethical question. Many who have examined the issue closely, including ourselves, have concluded that researchers should compensate women only for their direct expenses, to avoid inducing economically vulnerable women to accept the significant risks of egg retrieval when they would not otherwise be willing to do so. This perspective has been adopted as law in California and a number of countries, and it is recommended in...