LONDON, March 15, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On March 8th, International Women’s Day, a coalition of abortion-supporting and pro-life women, concerned at the growing exploitation of women in biotechnology launched a new campaign against the harvesting and marketing of human eggs. The campaign, “Hands off our ovaries!” highlights the short and long-term risks involved in egg harvesting and its significance for the health and dignity of women.
Concerned feminist representatives have joined together on this common ground, outraged by the casual attitude of the biotech industry towards the female body. Like-minded leaders and groups from around the world are invited to join a list which already includes representation from the USA Europe and Asia.
“Egg extraction as currently practiced poses inadequately understood, yet clearly significant risks to women’s health. It is unconscionable to encourage young women to take these risks purely for research purposes,” says Diane Beeson, Professor of Sociology at the California State University, East Bay and founder member of “Hands off our ovaries”.
“Women must quickly come together so that these life threatening concerns for our health and safety are heard. We can no longer sit idly by while women altruistically put themselves in harms way,” stated Jennifer Lahl, President of Every Woman First.
Leading Italian Feminists, Paola Tavella and Alessandra Di Pietro, authors of the newly-published, “Untamed Mothers-Against Technorape of the Female Body”, support the campaign and comment, “We believe that current biopolitics are separating men and women from natural reproduction and are robbing women of their biological tissues for experimental technoscience. We will fight together with other feminists for the freedom of women and the welfare of future generations.”
“Women can die from egg harvesting, or suffer irreversible infertility, and the long term effects of the drugs which are used in the process are still being questioned,” said Josephine Quintavalle on behalf of Comment on Reproductive Ethics. “None of these issues has been adequately addressed by the stem cell scientists eager to get their hands on women’s eggs and ovaries. And all for scientific research which still remains in the realm of hypothetical benefit.”
The group’s website contains a petition which can be signed online as well as more information and can be found online here:
www.handsoffourovaries.com