Deploring "women as commodities," "Eggsploitation" wins documentary award

My colleague Jennifer Lahl's documentary, "Eggsploitation" this week was named Best Documentary in the 2011 California Independent Film Festival Slate Awards. The film exposes how women are being exploited commercially and harmed physically in order to obtain their eggs for use in reproductive technology related to infertility. Human cloning also uses women's eggs, and a ridiculous number of eggs (and the corresponding number of exploited and harmed women) would be required to get anywhere near the imagined therapies supposedly arising from human cloning. From the news release:

Jennifer Lahl, President of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network and writer, director, and producer of Eggsploitation said, "We are thrilled to have been named Best Documentary by the California Independent Film Festival. California has been referred to as the 'reproductive tourism capital of the world' so it's fitting that a film drawing attention to the issue of egg donation and the health risks to young women would be so honored."

Eggsploitation profiles three highly educated young women—Calla, Alexandra, and Sindy—who suffered extreme health consequences related to their egg "donation." Dangerous health complications can occur during the egg donation process as a result of taking high doses of fertility drugs, during the egg retrieval surgery, or both. Their disturbing testimonies about their experience with egg donation are a wake-up call regarding a highly unregulated, multi-billion-dollar industry that jeopardizes the health of young women.
The film has received international attention, with sales and showings in more than 15 countries. In addition, Eggsploitation is making a big push on university campuses across the United States, where egg donation ads heavily target young women. This spring, Eggsploitation is scheduled to show at Columbia, Fordham, Yale, and Notre Dame law schools, as well as at Loyola-Marymount, Boston College, and many more.

For more information about the film and the issue of egg donation, and to view the trailer and clips from the film, visit www.eggsploitation.com.