| ATLANTA (UPI) -- A sample of more than 300 college newspapers shows almost one-quarter of the ads offered payment in excess of $10,000 for women's eggs, U.S. researchers say.
Aaron D. Levine, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, says payments in excess of $10,000 violate guidelines issued by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The study finds many egg donation agencies and private couples routinely exceed compensation recommendation limits.
Levine says amounts of $5,000 or more require justification and sums more than $10,000 are not appropriate.
The study, published in The Hastings Center Report, finds each increase of 100 SAT points in the average for a given university increased the compensation offered to egg donors at that school by $2,350.
Many ads offered $20,000, several offered $35,000 and one was as high as $50,000.
The study finds approximately one-quarter of the advertisements listed specific requirements for potential donors, such as appearance or ethnicity. This also goes against ASRM guidelines, which prohibit linking compensation to donor personal characteristics, Levine says.
Copyright 2010 by United Press International
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| Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar Dear Annie: My husband and I adopted a boy from a reputable adoption home 26 years ago. At the time, we were given only a few details about the birth parents.
Several months ago, I found out who the birth mother is and where she lives. If I contact her and she wants to get in touch, should I share this information with my son? The mother was only 17 when she gave him up. I know now that my child has siblings. Should I keep this information to myself forever? -- Desperate To Know What To Do
Dear Desperate: Has your son ever expressed an interest in searching for his birth parents? He is an adult now, and this decision should be his. Tell him you can help him locate his birth mother if he wants to do so. There may be medical history that would prove useful, and if his biological family agrees, a meeting could be a good thing. Adoptees often find this emotionally beneficial.
Dear Annie: I am a 52-year-old widow. My husband died seven years ago, and I had not dated anyone until I met "Jim" at the health club.
We discovered we had a lot in common, and as time went on, we began to develop strong feelings for each other. I felt my life come back to me. After five months, Jim moved in with my teenage son and me. He makes us both happy.
The problem is, my two older boys do not feel I should have another man in my life. I told them Jim has also felt the emptiness of a loss and understands. I also said I will always love their father, but I want a life, too.
Unfortunately, my sons have made it hard for me to see my grandchildren. We are not a close family anymore, and I am heartbroken. What do I do? Should I please my sons or myself? Am I a bad mother for choosing a man over my grown sons? -- Mom in the Middle
Dear Mom: We see two different problems here. Your sons are being selfish to withhold the grandchildren because you refuse to remain alone for the rest of your life. However, having Jim move in with you and a teenager after five months is too much too soon.
We know you have been lonely, but you are rushing this relationship. It is premature to cohabit, and you should explain to Jim that you are having second thoughts about the arrangement and would like to take things more slowly. He should move out. This will also allow your older sons to get to know him before he is shoved in their faces. By all means, continue to see him, but please give yourself more time before taking the next step.
Dear Annie: I read the letter from "Lost in Hawaii," who was concerned that her ex-husband was too lenient with their 14-year-old daughter who lived with him.
My ex gave himself a divorce for his 50th birthday. My 12-year-old daughter decided to live with Dad, and was allowed to stay out as late as she wanted and leave her room a mess and was never disciplined for anything. After two years of his lazy and lenient parenting, my beautiful, smart daughter started drinking and was suspended from high school twice for drugs. The police once picked her up at 3 a.m. If I tried to "interfere," she would threaten not to visit me again. Last fall, she flunked out of her first semester of college.
My biggest regret is that I didn't fight harder to get custody. I hope she will bounce back, but the situation has gone downhill, and I realize what she needed most was guidance and discipline, not guilt-induced permissiveness. -- Didn't Stand Up for My Daughter
Dear Didn't: You can't turn back the clock, but it is never too late to build a better relationship with your daughter so you can be the source of support she needs.
Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Annie's Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
Copyright 2010 Creators Syndicate Inc.
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