Clinic to raffle human egg

A BRITISH fertility clinic said yesterday it was raffling off a human egg this week to promote its “baby profiling” service, which it insists is legal under British law.

The winner can select the egg donor by education, upbringing and racial background.

The London Bridge Fertility, Gynaecology and Genetics Centre said the treatment takes place in the United States.

Women interested in having a baby by in vitro fertilisation are invited to attend a seminar on Wednesday, organised by Bridge’s US partner, the Genetics and IVF Institute GIVF, in Fairfax, Virginia.

The winner gets £13,000 (€14,350) worth of free IVF treatment in Virginia.

The sale of eggs for profit is banned in Britain, and donors have to agree that they can be identified and then contacted by their offspring once they turn 18.

US laws allow women to sell their eggs, and can make up to $10,000 (€7,300) a time, depending on the desirability of their profile.

GIVF egg donors are university students or graduates aged 19 to 32. Smokers and overweight women are not admitted.

“There is an increase in the number of women in Britain who are seeking alternative routes (to domestic IVF),” said Michael Summers, consultant in reproductive medicine at the Bridge Centre.

“And it’s much more difficult to find donors in the UK because of the policies in place,” he told reporters.

Asked whether he could guarantee that the service is legal, he replied: “Yes, because it’s the choice of the patient. We only provide information on the services available.”