U.K. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority approves compensation for eggs donated for research

The United Kingdom's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on Wednesday approved a policy that will allow women who donate eggs for human embryonic stem cell research to receive up to $500 for each cycle to cover costs associated with travel and lost wages, the AP/Washington Post reports (Cheng, AP/Washington Post, 2/21).

Women who donate eggs will be required to show they have an altruistic reason to donate eggs, such as wanting to help a relative with one of the conditions that researchers are trying to treat through embryonic stem cell research.

Under the United Kingdom's former policy, clinics could only accept donated eggs for research that were left over from an in vitro fertilization treatment or sterilization (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/21).

Researchers will have to apply to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to obtain eggs, Reuters UK reports.

Angela McNab, chief executive of the agency, said researchers will be given permission "provided that there are strong safeguards in place to ensure the women are properly informed of the risks of the procedure and are properly protected from coercion" (Ormsby, Reuters UK, 2/21).

There are two facilities in the United Kingdom -- one in Edinburgh, Scotland, and another in Newcastle, England -- that are licensed to conduct therapeutic cloning.

They likely will be the first centers to benefit from the new policy, the Scotsman reports (Moss, Scotsman, 2/22).

Some researchers said they need new eggs to create stem cell lines, but some critics of the policy said egg donors incur potential health risks (BBC News, 2/21).

In addition, some stem cell experts said the policy could encourage women to donate eggs for financial reasons (AP/Washington Post, 2/21).