The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday said that women who are planning to go overseas to donate egg cells should first understand the relevant laws in their destination country so that they do not unknowingly contravene local laws.
Many people are getting married or trying to have a baby later in life, and couples who are older or have health conditions such as infertility might need assisted reproductive technology to conceive, the HPA said in a statement yesterday.
Sometimes, couples might also need donated sperm or an egg for in vitro fertilization, it said.
Photo: Taipei Times file
There are many egg donation advertisements posted online, including ones that invite potential donors to travel abroad for an egg donation and a “nutrition subsidy,” Health Promotion Administration Maternal and Child Health Division deputy director Tsai Wei-yi (蔡維誼) said.
However, these ads do not mention whether egg donation for commercial purposes is legal in those countries, which might lead to people to unknowingly contravening local laws, he said.
For example, China prohibits any organization or individual from recruiting human egg donors for commercial purposes, so it would be illegal to travel to China for paid egg donation, Tsai said.
People who travel to the US to donate their eggs need to have a medical visa to receive treatment, so engaging in egg donation on a tourist visa would also be viewed as contravening the law, he said.
In Taiwan, donors must also donate without compensation, Tsai said, citing the Assisted Reproduction Act (人工生殖法).
However, considering that the donor must undergo certain testing and medical procedures — especially egg donors, who need to receive ovarian stimulation injections, take fertility drugs and go through an invasive egg retrieval procedure — the infertile couple can give the assisted reproduction institution a nutrition fee or supplements to be given to the egg donor, he said.
The couple can also pay for the donor’s medical and transportation fees, but the total amount of nutrition supplements and other fees should be no more than NT$99,000 (US$3,012), Tsai added.
Therefore, people who place ads to encourage others to donate eggs overseas and earn a high nutrition subsidy have contravened Article 31 of the act and might face penalties, the HPA said.
Article 31 stipulates that those who engage in the selling or brokering of reproductive cells or embryos for profit can face imprisonment for up to two years, detention or fined NT$200,000 to NT$1 million.
There are also risks of allergic reactions to ovarian simulation injections, fertility drugs or anesthetics for the egg retrieval procedure, so egg donors should consult with a doctor to know the risks before agreeing to a donation, the HPA said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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