Eggsploitation: Maggie’s Story is the fourth in a series of original documentaries about assisted reproduction directed by Jennifer Lahl, president and founder of the Center for Bioethics and Culture (CBC). The 22-minute short film functions as a sort of sequel to Eggsploitation, released in 2010 and re-released in an expanded version in 2013. Lahl has also directed two other films about donor-conceived people: Breeders: A Subclass of Women? (2014) and Anonymous Father’s Day (2011). While some of CBC’s staff hold conservative views, its film series focuses squarely on concerns about the fertility industry that many reproductive rights and justice advocates share.
Maggie was diagnosed with Stage IV Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, a breast cancer, at the age of 32. Her risk factors were minimal: she was young, healthy, had never had children, and had no family history of cancer. But Maggie had undergone egg retrieval ten times in as many years because, she said, she wanted “to help people.” She now believes that these procedures caused her cancer.
At the time, Maggie was excited to have her eggs “chosen” by an infertile couple. But over the course of the decade, she gradually became “uncomfortable” with the fertility industry. One turning point came when a nurse urged Maggie to demand more money for her eggs, because of “what you’re going through and how many times he [the fertility doctor] has used you and everything he’s gotten from you.”
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: “Eggsplotation: Maggie’s Story” Reveals Unknown Risks of Egg Retrieval
