Abstract

Although the term commodification is sometimes criticised as imprecise or overused, in fact it has a complex philosophical ancestry and can never be used too much, because the phenomena that it describes are still gaining ground. The issues that commodification raises in relation to reproductive technologies include whether it is wrong to commodify human tissues generally and gametes particularly, and whether the person as subject and the person as object can be distinguished in modern biomedicine. This chapter examines three areas in which commodification is a serious concern for important reproductive technologies: the sale of eggs for IVF and research, the banking of umbilical cord blood, and the use of gestational surrogates both domestically and internationally. Sales of human eggs for IVF or research are frequently disguised as “gifts”, which conceals the very real bodily risks and harms associated with ovarian hyperstimulation and egg harvesting undergone by egg “donors.” Umbilical cord banking is a fast-growing industry, with donated cord blood trading globally at very high prices; women who consent to banking of cord blood ostensibly for the potential future benefit of their child may not be informed of the likelihood that it will be traded in commercial markets or that the method used for harvesting may increase risks of jaundice in their babies. Commercial surrogacy also exploits altruism but in addition involves wrongful sale of babies, particularly in the international context. In each example, the commodification of women’s reproductive labour is masked by the manner in which ‘the lady vanishes’ under a gift model, ignoring the true economic value of their labour.