Feinstein/Hatch Would Permit Egg Buying for Cloning

I just found another area of dishonesty in S. 812, the bill that should be called “The Human Cloning Authorization Act.” Section 2(e) is entitled Voluntary Donation of Oocytes, meaning eggs. Indeed, Section II(e)(2) states:

Prohibition on Purchase or Sale—No human oocyte or unfertilized blastocyst [meaning cloned embryo] may be acquired, received, or otherwise transferred for valuable consideration if the transfer affects interstate commerce.

Sounds good. Ah, but what the good senators take away with one hand, they give with the other. Section 2(C)(ii) restricts the meaning of “valuable consideration,” to wit:

The term “valuable consideration” does not include payments…to compensate a donor of one or more human oocytes for the time or inconvenience associated with such donation.

So, the eggs themselves could not be purchased, but the woman egg donor could be offered plenty of money as to compensate her for the discomfort, inconvenience and time she spends in being super-ovulated to produce the eggs that cannot be purchased. Can we say, distinction without a difference?

I plan to write a more detailed analysis of S. 812 soon.