California warning labels: "Donating" eggs may be hazardous to your health
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law a bill [PDF] requiring that advertisements offering cash to egg "donors" include a reference to the health risks posed by the procedure.
The new law, the first of its kind in the country, will help alert young women to the risks of selling their eggs. This is particularly important in California, where one of every seven U.S. assisted reproduction procedures takes place. And it's especially timely now, since the number of women answering ads for egg "donors" has surged with the economic and employment crisis.
The bill was authored by Assembly Member and Assistant Majority Whip Marty Block, a San Diego Democrat. The California Senate voted to support it by a vote of 30 to 3, and the Assembly by 58 to 17. It was instigated by the work of the Alliance for Humane Biotechnology, and supported by the Center for Genetics and Society, the Pro-Choice Alliance for Responsible Research, Our Bodies Ourselves, California NOW, Breast Cancer Fund, AAUW, and scores of college students who sent letters to legislators and the governor's office. CGS's letter urging the governor to sign the bill is here [PDF].