…On its Web site the Hands Off Our Ovaries organization describes itself as being a “coalition of ‘pro-choice’ and ‘pro-life’ women, concerned at the growing exploitation of women in biotechnology.” Last March 8 the group launched a campaign against the harvesting and marketing of human eggs.
In a press release dated May 11, the group explained it is concerned that the processes used to extract ova “pose serious short-term health risks for women.” Apart from short-term problems such as overstimulation of the ovaries, the statement argued that knowledge of the long-term risks is inadequate.
Among the documentation on the Hands Off Our Ovaries Web site is a letter dated February 2005, written by Dr. Suzanne Parisian, a former chief medical officer of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The physician noted that many of the drugs used in procedures to extract ova “have not been adequately studied for long-term safety, nor do some of these drugs have FDA approval for these specific indications.”
Moreover, pharmaceutical firms have not been required by either the government or physicians to collect safety data for IVF drugs regarding risk of cancer or other serious health conditions, Parisian warned…
