Stem cells 'to boost' risky egg trade Demand for eggs for stem
cell research will put vulnerable women at increased pressure to
sell their ova to unscrupulous dealers, says an Australian
researcher. This may not be such an issue for well regulated
countries like Australia, says Associate Professor Catherine
Waldby of the University of Sydney. But she says it is more
likely to affect women in poorly regulated countries, who
already supply eggs to rich nations for IVF programs, and whose
health can suffer as a result. "There have been various serious
medical problems develop in women involved in selling eggs,"
says Waldby. Her findings will be published in the journal New
Genetics and Society. Waldby, a sociologist of life sciences,
says she is concerned about the effect of stem cell research on
an already stretched global supply of women's eggs. She is
concerned about the implication of obtaining eggs for
therapeutic cloning, which are already in short supply because
of the popularity of IVF. Therapeutic cloni