Ova donors demand compensation from government

Seoul (AsiaNews) _ A coalition of 35 women_s groups filed a suit for compensation against the South Korean government on behalf of women suffering from side-effects after making uninformed ova donations to Prof Hwang Woo-suk for his research on stem cell embryos.

The women_s groups in association with Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) claim that the donors who provided the _research material_ to the now disgraced researcher received no information on the side effects of excessive ova collection.

During the investigation into the fraudulent study, it was found that Hwang_s team used 2,221 ova, about fivefold the number Hwang had previously claimed, and that about 20 per cent of the donors have suffered side-effects from this invasive practice.

_Fifteen women donated eggs more than twice. The Mizmedi Hospital team even collected ova twice from a woman, who was hospitalized for side-effects after each donation,__ the women_s groups said in a statement. _It is an example of how the embryonic stem cell research, which received full national support, trampled on women_s human rights,_ the press release also said.

The groups...