Conservatives for egg donation?
Split Conservative party might vote in favour of egg donation
A Conservative (Høyre ) vote to allow egg donation will distance itself from the Christian Democrats (KrF) in a matter that has united us this far, according to prominent Krf politician.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg is likely to risk to face a defeat when egg donation becomes and issue at the party convention on Saturday, April 6th. It is not unlikely that majority of the Conservatives will vote that women to be impregnated by eggs donated from somebody else.
This makes the Christian Democrats uneasy.
– For us, this is a will be a major crossroads, states KrF deputy leader, Olaug Bollestad, who emphasizes that the Conservatives are free to define their own policy.
– But the Conservatives has always been our alliance partner regarding this issue, which is a matter of great importance to us . By saying yes to donation of eggs they are not definitely any closer to KrF, she tells NTB.
Diskusjonen om eventuell regjeringsdeltakelse for KrF har blusset opp igjen og vil ligge i bakhodet til Høyre-delegatene.
Infight
Regarding the question of donation of eggs, the program committee of the Conservatives is divided. The majority believe donation of eggs should be disallowed because it will mean “a break with a long-standing convention that the one who gives birth to the child is also the mother.”
– Children who have been delivered into the world by donation will have a ‘genetic mother’ who has donated the egg, but also a ‘biological mother’ who has carried the child through pregnancy as it is stated.
A child’s right to know about its origin is also a central objection to the opponents.
The minority view is however concerned with “the equal treatment of couples where the man is infertile as with couples where the woman is infertile” and that it is the individual woman’s choice whether to donate eggs or not.
– In the question regarding donation of eggs, as is the case with ordinary pregnancies, a biological bond between mother and child is established through pregnancy, it is stated by the dissents.
Majority among county representatives
At the National Assembly in March last year, the party leadership was presented with a decision to postpone for one year. Aftenposten recently reported that a majority of the Conservatives county councils have landed on allowing donation of eggs.
– My impression is that it appears that there has become a fairly large majority in favour. I think the process we have had in the party, with thorough assesment by the counties, has helped move some of the undecided to sway towards yes, says Tina Bru, Leader of the Conservatives Women’s Forum and yeah supporter to the newspaper.
Parliament representative Bollestad (KrF) is questioning why the women’s network says yes to donation, which she fears will pave the way for surrogate parenthood.
– Then we open for that women and their bodies are put under pressure as well, she says.
Several dissidents
The Conservatives’ National Convention must also consider surrogacy, whereby a woman can give birth to a child on behalf of couples that will be the legal parents of the child.
The majority in the program committee is opposed to this, but acting Young Conservativest leader, Sandra Bruflot, believes that the party, under strict supervisory terms, ought to say yes to altruistic surrogate parenthood.
– A prerequisite for voting for surrogacy is that the scheme is to be regulated, that it is non-commercial and that the child should be entitled to know who their surrogate mother is, it is mentioned in the dissent.
The Conservatives is also divided in the question of expanding the offer of assisted fertility. The majority in the committee believe the offer must be extended to single mothers if the conditions for providing that safe upbringing of the child are met.
A minority of three members however believes that “children are entitled to the security that only two parents can provide.”
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
