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NEW YORK, February 15, 2011—The King's College hosted Jennifer Lahl, Director of the Center for Bioethics and Culture, as part of its Distinguished Visitor Series. Students were treated a screening of her award-winning documentary, Eggsploitation, followed by an interview with Dr. Marvin Olasky, a Presidential Scholar at The King’s College and Editor of World magazine.
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According to Lahl, who wrote and directed the documentary, the purpose of the film is to educate viewers about the medical issues surrounding egg donation.
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Lahl said, "Eggsploitation means to plunder, pillage, rob, despoil, fleece, and strip ruthlessly a young woman of her eggs, by means of fraud, coercion or deception, to be used selfishly for another's gain, with a total lack of regard for the well-being of the donor."
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The film tells the story of three women whose eggs were harvested for compensation up to $100,000. In Eggsploitation, these women revealed hazardous aspects of processes that Lahl contends are usually kept secret from the public. This includes inadequate medical care service and major health risks caused by use of harmful pre-donation drugs, which in some cases render women unable to bear children.
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"This film seeks to shed light on the experiences of these young women, telling the full story of this multi-billion dollar industry," Lahl said.
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Widely promoted on college campuses, egg donation is a medical process by which women's eggs are cultivated and harvested for fertilization. In connection with in vitro fertilization, egg donation is promoted as a successful method for providing eggs to couples that could otherwise not have children.
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The issue has become hotly debated in the bioethics community, so Lahl decided to enter the public square and educate the public about the issue. In addition to screening Eggsploitation at The King’s College, she also used her trip to New York City for screenings at Columbia and Fordham Law Schools.
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The King’s College is located in the Empire State Building in New York City
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(A version of this story appeared in the Empire State Tribune, the student newspaper of The King’s College. It was written by freshman Emily Deemer.)
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For more information about The
King's College please contact: |
| Chris Ross |
| Communications Specialist |
| 212.659.3602 |
