title: How Agencies Market Egg Donation on the Internet: A Qualitative Study.
abstract: We systematically examined the content of the websites of 46 agencies that buy and sell human eggs to understand how they market themselves to both donors and recipients. We found that these websites use marketing techniques that obscure the realities of egg donation, presenting egg donation as a mutually beneficial and fulfilling experience. Sites emphasize egg donors' emotional fulfillment (71.4%) and address recipients' anxieties by stressing the ability to find the perfect "fit" or "match" (56.5%), suiting recipients'"preferences"/"desires" (19.6%), and even designing/customizing a child (15.2%). Agencies attempt to create a sense of connection between the recipients and donors by reporting donors' personal characteristics - e.g., interests/hobbies (63%), traits (34.8%), mood/temperament (20%), and self-reported childhood behavior/memories (15%). Sites present donors as caring/generous (54.3%) and smart/successful/beautiful. These data, the first to examine several key aspects of egg donation agency websites, reveal critical aspects of how these companies communicate to prospective donors and recipients, raising several ethical concerns. Websites frame information in ways that may bias consumers, making emotional appeals that may distract from appropriate risk/benefit assessments and obscure the ethical challenges of egg donation. These data highlight needs for improved practices, adherence to guidelines, and consideration of enhanced guidelines or policy.
authors.affiliation: Received his M.S. in Bioethics at Columbia University and is the founder and CEO of ACCOMPANY, a company selling indigenous crafts from the developing world.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keehn
authors.affiliation: Received her B.A. from Yale University, and is currently a third-year medical student at Thomas Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Howell
authors.affiliation: Professor and Vice Chairman, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, and Division Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology at New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center. He has a special interest in medical bioethics and serves on the Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Ethics Committee of the New York Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center, and the editorial board of the American Journal of Bioethics.
authors.forename: Mark V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Sauer
authors.affiliation: Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Masters of Bioethics Program at Columbia University.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klitzman
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000941:ethics*; D040541:Marketing / Q000941:ethics*; D018587:Oocyte Donation / Q000191:economics* / Q000941:ethics*