> > Infertile couples hope Ivy League eggs mean an > Ivy League kid > > By Brigitte Greenberg, Associated Press, 01/04/99 > 01:00 > > NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Some infertile couples > want strictly Grade A eggs. > > One of the nation's biggest fertility registries > has been focusing more advertising on newspapers > at Ivy League schools as couples increasingly seek > out eggs they hope will grow into brainy kids. > > ``Many parents are willing to be more flexible on > the health history than on academic achievements > and signs of intelligence,=B4=B4 said Teri B. Royal, > director of the Los Angeles-based OPTIONS National > Fertility Registry. While prospective parents > choose donors based on physical characteristics, > intelligence ``is probably the most sought-after > attribute,=B4=B4 she said. > > The number of couples requesting advertising at > the Ivies has nearly doubled each year since > OPTIONS opened for business in 1992, Royal said. > She said she believes the public has grown more > open to alternative methods of reproduction, > including people who went to the Ivies, once > bastions of tradition. > > Other fertility agencies said they don't tally the > number of people who want Ivy League donors and > that their official policy is to discourage that > sort of targeted search. However, advertising > managers at Ivy League newspapers say such ads are > on the rise. > > Trying to land an Ivy League donor is neither easy > nor cheap. OPTIONS represents one alumna who spent > more than $15,000 in advertising at the top > schools. > > The response rate to the OPTIONS advertisements is > about 75 percent lower among Ivy coeds than among > young women at other schools, Royal said. > > ``Most of the students that go to the Ivy League > schools come from families that have at least a > minimum of wealth and generally are not looking > through want ads or employment ads to supplement > their income,=B4=B4 she said. > > If they are interested, however, young women from > the Ivy League or elsewhere can make anywhere from > $3,500 to $5,000 for contributing ova. Other > advertisements have offered more, some as much as > $10,000. > > A New Jersey couple who went through OPTIONS to > get a donor say parents should only go so far to > try and product a genetically perfect child. > Janet Lasley and Marc Brahaney, himself a > Princeton graduate, describe their 1-year-old son, > Charlie, as ``brilliant,=B4=B4 - despite that the egg > donor wasn=B4t an Ivy Leaguer. They did note, > however, that she got a 1,270 on her SATs, earned > A=B4s in college and has an IQ of 146. > > ``It was a much more of an emotional connection > than for me to genetically engineer this thing,=B4=B4 > said Ms. Lasley, 45. ``There is that temptation > ... but once you get this child, it doesn=B4t > matter. You just love them, no matter what.=B4=B4 > > An Ivy League donor doesn't guarantee an Ivy > League kid, Royal notes. She advertises in other > places, as does the Columbia University > Presbyterian Medical Center. In an effort to serve > clients who request it, however, the hospital > began running advertisements in the Columbia Daily > Spectator last semester when the paper changed its > policy and began accepting such ads. > > Dr. Richard Scott, director of the Institute for > Reproductive Medicine & Science at Saint Barnabas > Medical Center in Livingston, N.J., said that no > matter how intelligent the donor, medical science > cannot pinpoint the origins of genius, or > reproduce them. > > ``It=B4s an age-old debate, nature versus nurture,=B4=B4 > said Scott. ``We=B4ve certainly had an occasional > recipient who=B4s very concerned with educational > levels, but health is usually the overriding > concern.=B4=B4 > > Some who carry the supposedly elite eggs find the > topic somewhat amusing. > > ``Most of the ads are looking for me,=B4=B4 joked > Karen Abrecht, 20, a tall Yale junior with brown > hair, blue eyes and love of history. ``They must > think that for some reason the genes I would have > to offer would somehow be better, even though it=B4s > never been proven scientifically.=B4=B4 > > =A9 Copyright 1998 Boston Globe Electronic > Publishing, Inc. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > GLOBAL HOMELESS NETWORK > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Providing current homeless and related news, information and > announcements > for charitable research and > educational purposes pursuant to Title 17 USC =A7 107: > > http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/1 > 07.shtml
----Original Message Follows---- Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1999 01:34:40 PST Reply-To: GLOBAL HOMELESS NETWORK <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: American Homeless Society <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: New Haven: genetic discrimination To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Infertile couples hope Ivy League eggs mean an Ivy League kid By Brigitte Greenberg, Associated Press, 01/04/99 01:00 NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Some infertile couples want strictly Grade A eggs. One of the nation's biggest fertility registries has been focusing more advertising on newspapers at Ivy League schools as couples increasingly seek out eggs they hope will grow into brainy kids. ``Many parents are willing to be more flexible on the health history than on academic achievements and signs of intelligence,=B4=B4 said Teri B. Royal, director of the Los Angeles-based OPTIONS National Fertility Registry. While prospective parents choose donors based on physical characteristics, intelligence ``is probably the most sought-after attribute,=B4=B4 she said. The number of couples requesting advertising at the Ivies has nearly doubled each year since OPTIONS opened for business in 1992, Royal said. She said she believes the public has grown more open to alternative methods of reproduction, including people who went to the Ivies, once bastions of tradition. Other fertility agencies said they don't tally the number of people who want Ivy League donors and that their official policy is to discourage that sort of targeted search. However, advertising managers at Ivy League newspapers say such ads are on the rise. Trying to land an Ivy League donor is neither easy nor cheap. OPTIONS represents one alumna who spent more than $15,000 in advertising at the top schools. The response rate to the OPTIONS advertisements is about 75 percent lower among Ivy coeds than among young women at other schools, Royal said. ``Most of the students that go to the Ivy League schools come from families that have at least a minimum of wealth and generally are not looking through want ads or employment ads to supplement their income,=B4=B4 she said. If they are interested, however, young women from the Ivy League or elsewhere can make anywhere from $3,500 to $5,000 for contributing ova. Other advertisements have offered more, some as much as $10,000. A New Jersey couple who went through OPTIONS to get a donor say parents should only go so far to try and product a genetically perfect child. Janet Lasley and Marc Brahaney, himself a Princeton graduate, describe their 1-year-old son, Charlie, as ``brilliant,=B4=B4 - despite that the egg donor wasn=B4t an Ivy Leaguer. They did note, however, that she got a 1,270 on her SATs, earned A=B4s in college and has an IQ of 146. ``It was a much more of an emotional connection than for me to genetically engineer this thing,=B4=B4 said Ms. Lasley, 45. ``There is that temptation ... but once you get this child, it doesn=B4t matter. You just love them, no matter what.=B4=B4 An Ivy League donor doesn't guarantee an Ivy League kid, Royal notes. She advertises in other places, as does the Columbia University Presbyterian Medical Center. In an effort to serve clients who request it, however, the hospital began running advertisements in the Columbia Daily Spectator last semester when the paper changed its policy and began accepting such ads. Dr. Richard Scott, director of the Institute for Reproductive Medicine & Science at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J., said that no matter how intelligent the donor, medical science cannot pinpoint the origins of genius, or reproduce them. ``It=B4s an age-old debate, nature versus nurture,=B4=B4 said Scott. ``We=B4ve certainly had an occasional recipient who=B4s very concerned with educational levels, but health is usually the overriding concern.=B4=B4 Some who carry the supposedly elite eggs find the topic somewhat amusing. ``Most of the ads are looking for me,=B4=B4 joked Karen Abrecht, 20, a tall Yale junior with brown hair, blue eyes and love of history. ``They must think that for some reason the genes I would have to offer would somehow be better, even though it=B4s never been proven scientifically.=B4=B4 =A9 Copyright 1998 Boston Globe Electronic Publishing, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GLOBAL HOMELESS NETWORK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Providing current homeless and related news, information and announcements for charitable research and educational purposes pursuant to Title 17 USC =A7 107: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/1 07.shtml ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONLINE HOMELESS COMMUNICATIONS CENTER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?si gdir=3Dhomelessness ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOMELESS POWWOW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Share your views about homelessness and related issues in your area and around the world: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
