About this episode

The episode investigates the grey market of egg donation in Canada and the implications of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Gemma Boothroyd

Topics covered

• fertility industry
• egg donation
• regulation
• assisted reproduction
• grey market
• health risks

Keywords

• egg donation
• fertility
• Canada
• regulation
• health risks
• grey market
• assisted reproduction

Sponsors

Fizz, Shopify

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Canadian assisted reproductive technologies registry, Alberta Law Review, The Walrus, PMC

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