The House of Representatives has resolved to conduct a thorough investigation into cases of unethical and exploitative practices in egg procurement and surrogacy by fertility hospitals and clinics in the country.
The investigation, the Green Chamber said, would be carried out within four weeks, after which further legislative actions would be taken.
The adoption of the motion was sequel to the adoption of a motion moved at the plenary om Tuesday by Hon. Babajimi Benson.
Moving the motion, he said the utilisation of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) and referrals to fertility centers has witnessed a notable surge in Nigeria, especially since the advent of the new millennium.
The lawmaker added that the fertility industry in Nigeria has emerged as a thriving industry estimated to worth $1 billion with several private and public hospitals across the country engaged in the practice.
Benson stressed that ART procedures entail the surgical extraction of eggs from a woman’s ovaries, their fusion with sperm in laboratory settings, and subsequent reintegration into the donor’s body or transfer to another woman or storage in an egg bank;
He expressed concerned that these women undergo the surgical egg retrieval, relinquishing control over the eggs obtained, adding that they are typically remunerated between N100,000 to N150,000 per retrieval, with as many as five to six eggs potentially extracted per month.
Bensosm expressed concern about the widespread practice of terming this process as “donation,” while in reality, desperate women of childbearing age are coerced through targeted marketing to sell their eggs with potential adverse effects on their future reproductive health and overall well-being.
He noted: “This sector comprises multiple stakeholders, including egg brokers, egg banks, egg-selling women, medical practitioners involved in egg retrieval and pre-embryo transfer, embryologists, IVF laboratories, surrogate service providers, and intended parents purchasing the eggs.
“Ironically, within this heavily commercialised context, the process of egg procurement is labelled as “egg donation,” and women who receive compensation for providing eggs are referred to as egg donors.
“It has been proven that some of the hormonal injections used to stimulate and mature follicles to increase ovulation can elevate estrogen hormone levels and lead to excessive gene expression, thereby increasing the risk of ovarian and breast cancer – two of the most prevalent cancers among women.”
The lawmaker explained that additional risks include depression, hyper-ovulation syndrome, insomnia, bleeding, and short-term memory issues.
He decried that fertility centers have capitalised on the absence of a suitable regulatory framework to exploit providers/donors and potentially engage in the trade of donated eggs.
Bemsin said if this trend is not checked immediately, there is possibility of a sharp rise in cases of infertility and cancer infections on the part of the young donors and surrogates as well as promoting the exploitative practices involved.
The House, therefore, directed, ‘the Committee on Health to conduct a thorough investigation into cases of unethical and exploitative practices in egg procurement and surrogacy by fertility hospitals and clinics and submit its findings to the House within a timeframe of four weeks.”