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Women can still say 'no'

By Leslie Cannold - posted Friday, 24 November 2006


Is Women’s Forum Australia saying these women didn’t really choose to make such donations, but were simply trying to look like “good women” in the eyes of others? If such altruism should be banned when it comes to stem cell science, shouldn’t women be prohibited from donating eggs to women facing infertility, too?

Women also donate blood, though this - like all medical procedures - carries risks. Should the state also step in here and say “no”?

How would any of us feel to be told that we cannot donate an egg to a sister suffering infertility or to a stem cell research project attempting to cure a disease from which we, or a beloved child, suffers?

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The answer is infantilised, patronised, and mad as hell. If George thinks egg donation is too risky, she has the right to say “no”. What she doesn’t deserve is the freedom to stop me, or any other women, making my own risk-benefit calculation, and my own choice.

Which takes us back to our first question: is stem cell science anti-woman? The clear answer is “no”. Researchers and scientists believe that as long as relevant legal rulings and ethical guidelines are followed, women have the same ability to give - or withhold - informed consent to being involved as men.

Curiously, the sole source of sexism in the debate comes from groups asserting feminist credentials. Women’s Forum Australia describes itself as an “independent think tank” that promotes “the advancement, well-being and freedom of all women”.

The directors of WFA include the “bioethical advisor” to former pro-life Senator Brian Harradine, two women - including George - with links to Opus Dei and a Southern Cross Bioethics Institute (SCBI) staff member. SCBI is the research arm of Southern Cross Care, which is the product of the Knights of the Southern Cross, an order of Catholic men “committed to promoting the Christian way of life throughout Australia”.

Defining “independent” is tricky, but there is little doubt that “think tanks” should do good thinking.

The factual sloppiness and offensively sexist nature of arguments advanced by George don’t fit the bill.

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First published in The Herald Sun on November 6, 2006.



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About the Author

Dr Leslie Cannold is a writer, columnist, ethicist and academic researcher. She is the author of the award-winning What, No Baby? and The Abortion Myth. Her historical novel The Book of Rachael was published in April by Text.

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Rhetoric of choice clouds dangers of harvesting women’s eggs for cloning - On Line Opinion

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