Is it too easy to buy eggs and sperm in the US?

I've just been reading an interesting piece in the New York Times which compares the complicated process people face when adopting a child with the ease with which donor sperm and eggs can be purchased in the States. During adoption, the interests of the child are always paramount, as they should be, but with donor conception, the interests of the prospective parents may seem to lead the way.

Columnist Ross Douthat discusses a study of donor conceived adults which showed that many of them felt some unease about their conception, often because money had changed hands. Unlike the UK, donation in the States is not only paid but can also be anonymous. Although getting rid of anonymity in the UK was initially seen to have reduced the donor pool and created longer waits for donor treatment, it is likely that in the long run it will reduce the potential problems of donor conception making it possible to trace a donor parent.

You can read the article at www.nytimes.com