Govt proposes law against egg donations by relatives

The government is proposing to introduce a new legislation that will soon make it illegal for parents from using the eggs donated by their relatives o be used for fertilisation and instead go to an egg bank. The reason, the government says, is to prevent legal and other ethical complications that may arise in such a case. Once the baby is born, the relatives who donated the eggs for the child may claim that this is their child. This can cause a lot of controversies -- social, ethical and legal, according to Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, Director, Babies & Us IVF & ICSI Centre, Mumbai. However, there are also those medical experts who feel that a known donor is better. “If the donor is related then it would be better. Here when people adopt, they often adopt the children of their relatives. So what is wrong in using the eggs and donating the eggs," countered Dr. Nandita Palshetkar, a gynaecologist. The fact that children are born with the genetic characteristics of their parents is another reason why most people prefer the eggs to be donated by someone known to them and from their own family. According to some estimates, more than one crore couples need eggs donated by other women to have a child. Clearly, the government should ensure that it keeps their views in mind before forming any law.