Problem: Free Market Solution to the Baby Shortage?
The following ad appeared in the Stanford Daily (Stanford University):
EGG DONOR WANTED $35,000 (PLUS ALL EXPENSES) Ivy League Professor and High-Tech CEO seek one truly exceptional woman who is attractive, athletic, under the age of 29. GPA 3.5+, SAT: 1400+.
Experts estimate that about 10,000 babies annually are born from "donated" eggs and about $38 million is spent on those eggs. Fees range from a few thousand dollars to $50,000 or more. The fertility industry is lightly regulated by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A few states are considering their own rules. Most industrial nations have banned paid "donations."
Questions
1. Harvard Business School professor Debora Spar says, "We are selling children." a. Is she correct? b. Should we be doing so? Explain.
2. a. Does capitalism encourage us to treat people as products?
b. Are people, in fact, products? Explain.
3. Should we more closely regulate the fertility industry? Explain.
4. Would you favor the increased use of surrogate mothers? Explain. [See Thomas Frank, "Rent-a-Womb Is Where Market Logic Leads," The Wall Street Journal, December 10, 2008, p. A17.]
5. Asian egg donors typically earn two to four times as much for their eggs as do those of other ethnicities.
a. Why do you think Asian eggs are worth more in the market?
b. In your judgment, does that price differential constitute unlawful discrimination? Explain. See Shan Li, "Asian Women Command Premium Prices for Egg Donation in the U.S.," latimes's website, May 3, 2012