by Dr Todd Daly
Jennifer Lahl’s award-winning documentary Eggsploitation offers a critical interpretation of the practice of egg donation, one of many largely unregulated practices of the fertility industry. Fertility clinics often prey upon young women in college who are faced with increasing levels of debt, offering women with high IQ scores and attractive bodies up to $100,000 for their eggs to help enable childless couples to conceive children. But at what cost? Beyond the moral issues of bodily commodification, women who undergo the harvesting procedure put their own lives at risk with the supposedly safe procedure that triggers the ovaries to produce many more eggs than normal. Lahl’s documentary explores these issues in uncovering the hidden costs of our fertility revolution, helping Christians understand how to develop appropriate responses to the expanding possibilities of having children afforded by the continual advance of medicine. Jennifer Lahl is founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, coupling her 25 years of experience as a pediatric critical care nurse, a hospital administrator, and senior-level nursing management with a deep passion to speak for those who have no voice. She was recently featured on the Dr. Oz program to speak of the dangers of egg donation, and is often called upon to speak alongside lawmakers and members of the scientific community, including members of the European Parliament in Brussels to address egg trafficking.
Eggsploitation was awarded Best Documentary by the California Independent Film Festival in 2011, and has been recently translated into Italian for the Rimini Festival in Rome, the largest cultural festival in the world. Urbana Theological Seminary and Carle Foundation Hospital will be co-hosting a public viewing of Eggsploitation with Jennifer Lahl on Friday evening, September 7th at 7 PM at Christ Church in Normal, Illinois (1301 N. Linden St., Normal, IL 61761). Don’t miss this unique opportunity to speak with one of the world’s leading experts in bioethical issues surrounding fertility.
Event is free but please pre-register by responding to this email.
