Cash for Eggs — Canada’s Fertility Industry Secret
7/13/202645 min
Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act made it illegal to pay a woman to donate her eggs in Canada. The goal was to avoid incentivizing women to donate their eggs without fully understanding the risks of the procedure. But loopholes and a lax regulatory system have let a “grey market” prosper.
In her investigation Gemma Boothroyd spent months meeting egg donors, doctors, researchers, lawyers — the long list of people working, often unseen, to make a baby for intended parents.
Host: Gemma Boothroyd
Credits: Gemma Boothroyd (Reporter), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Chad Galloway (Audio Editing & Production), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)
Fact checking by Lucie Laumonier
Additional music by Audio Network
More information:
- What 53 Egg Donors Said They Wish They Knew…
- Alana Cattapan’s research team’s work on egg donors in Canada
- Canadian assisted reproductive technologies registry CARTR PLUS annual report
- The Human Egg Trade | The Walrus
- The Business of Egg Transactions and Need for Improved Regulation of the Fertility Industry in Canada | Alberta Law Review
- Egg donor self-reports of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: severity by trigger type, oocytes retrieved, and prior history - PMC
- First prosecution under Assisted Human Reproduction Act ends in conviction - PMC
Sponsors:
Fizz: Visit https://fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN25 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.
Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today athttps://shopify.ca
Article: Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit https://article.com/canadaland and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.
Can’t get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more.
If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
[whistles] Canadaland, funded by you.
Gemma Boothroyd· Host0:03
I'm Gemma Boothroyd, and on today's show, in Canada, it's illegal to pay women who donate their eggs for IVF treatments. So how did this woman end up with $18,000?
Sana Al Badri· Guest0:15
And everybody was like, "Well, it's never touching a Canadian bank account, so it's not a problem."
Gemma Boothroyd· Host0:20
Wait for that.
Speaker 10:21
[upbeat music] Two major earthquakes struck Venezuela, and the humanitarian coalition is moving fast to deliver aid. But we need your help. Help families get the urgent support they need. Donate now at together.ca. Your donation will be matched by the government of Canada. [upbeat music] Roll out.
Speaker 40:44
With the new My Lowe's Pro Rewards American Express Card, earn three points per dollar spent on Lowe's qualifying purchases for the first six months after card account opening. Plus, save 5% every day on eligible purchases at Lowe's, and earn points on eligible purchases everywhere else Amex is accepted. Card members get more at Lowe's. Subject to credit approval. 5% can't be combined with any other offer. Exclusions and restrictions apply. Points subject to loyalty terms at lowes.com/terms, and credit reward terms at synchrony.com/mlpra-terms. Visit lowes.com/businesscredit.
Jesse Brown1:12
This episode is brought to you by Fizz Mobile. Get busy with Fizzy. James, when you're trying to, like, make a rhyme happen, the problem here is you're so desperate to, to force the rhyme that that's not even the name. It's, it's Fizz. It's not Fizzy. People, just move