A Fort Smith lawmaker filed legislation Friday afternoon that would prohibit a woman from selling her unfertilized eggs for a profit.
The bill to create the "Egg Provider Protection Act" was filed by Rep. Cindy Crawford, R-Fort Smith. Crawford is head of Hannah House, a facility that helps girls and women ages 13-29 who are pregnant or facing other life crises, according to its website.
House Bill 1761 is part of the legislative package of the conservative, faith-based Family Council.
"We have no issue with benevolent donation of eggs," said Family Council President Jerry Cox. "We just don't think it should be an industry."
Crawford could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
The text of HB1761 states that a woman would not be able to receive any compensation for egg harvesting other than reimbursements for "time and trouble." The bill would also ban the solicitation of an egg donor with the promise of compensation.
The Family Council during the 2017 session backed more expansive legislation that would have banned the practice of commercial surrogacy. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported later that year that Arkansas was one of only five states, and the District of Columbia, that does not restrict the practice of commercial surrogacy.
The Family Council's 2017 legislation, House Bill 2075, was also filed in early March but never made it out of committee before the session came to a close.
The sponsor of the 2017 bill was then-Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville. He said that attorneys who practice in the areas of surrogacy and adoption opposed the 2017 measure.
Leding, who now serves in the Senate, said he is not involved with Crawford's bill.
Cox said that without such legislation, women may be persuaded to donate their eggs with the promise of compensation, without knowing the full risks behind the procedure.
HB1761 is not yet assigned to a committee, according to the Legislature's website.
SundayMonday on 03/11/2019