At the end of February, I had the pleasure of joining Jennifer at Yale Law School, Columbia University, and Hunter College, as the CBC hosted screenings of Eggsploitation in Connecticut and New York City. At each location, college and graduate students had the opportunity to see the films and join in the post-film discussions.

Over the past few years, I’ve attended a number of these events—giving witness to angry fertility industry personnel who sometimes attend, as well as to the shocked young women, some of whom have considered selling their eggs or have already done so. While the reactions of these audiences may vary (one young woman fainted during the screening Hunter College, which surprisingly has happened at many other screenings), there’s always a crowd that forms around Jennifer at the end, simply to say “thank you—we didn’t know these risks.”

For some reason I’m always surprised by this—these are smart Ivy League students that have never been told the dangers of selling their eggs or even at a more basic level, fully understood how their bodies work. Meanwhile, their student newspapers are full of ads convincing them of the great service they would be participating in by selling their eggs—while earning tens of thousands of dollars. Indeed, this is eggsploitation at its worst (or its finest, depending on whose talking!).

While this can be discouraging, it’s also a helpful reminder that the work we do is absolutely essential. Simply put, if the CBC doesn’t engage in this debate and enter these campuses, no one else will—that’s why we’ll be at Dartmouth, University of Michigan, Colgate University, University of California Berkeley, Stanford, and a host of other institutions before the academic year is out. If you find yourselves near any of these areas, be sure to join us.

As the tagline of Eggsploitation reads, “the infertility industry has a dirty little secret.” We’re doing our part to make sure their secrets are exposed. Will you help us?

Upcoming Screenings and Speaking Engagements

Bethlehem College and Seminary
Friday, March 8 @ 7:00 AM
Jennifer Lahl Lecture and Q&A
Minneapolis, MN

University of Michigan
March 20 @ Noon
Eggsploitation Screening
Ann Arbor, MI

University of California, Berkeley
April 17
Eggsploitation Screening
Berkeley, CA

Stanford University
April 18 @ 7:00 PM
Eggsploitation Screening
Stanford, CA

Dartmouth College
April 22 @ 8:00 PM
Eggsploitation Screening
Hanover, NH

Colgate University
April 23
Eggsploitation Screening
Hamilton, NY

University of San Francisco
April 26 @ Noon
Eggsploitation Screening
San Francisco, CA

 

Author Profile

Christopher White, Ramsey Institute Project Director