Professor Ikemoto Comments for Capitol Weekly on Ethics of Egg Donation
Professor Lisa Ikemoto commented for Capitol Weekly on the ethics of selling women's eggs for research. A bill by Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, would lift California's ban on compensation for eggs donated to medical research.
"On the fertility side, it's politically hard to touch because it's all around family formation. Nobody wants to restrict family formation," Ikemoto said. "On the research side, when the issue of payment for eggs came up, it was connected with human embryonic stem cell research, and human embryonic stem cell research was politicized from the outset."
The Capitol Weekly article and Professor Ikemoto's comments were also featured on the California Stem Cell Report, a blog that covers stem cell issues.
Lisa Ikemoto teaches bioethics and health law courses at the UC Davis School of Law. She has written extensively on genetic and reproductive technology, the regulation of fertility and pregnancy, and race and gender disparities in health care. Her current work examines emerging issues in regenerative medicine, including stem cell research, and the human tissues market.