Cross section of a flower ovary. Photo by Ray Nelson.
Cross section of a flower ovary. Photo by Ray Nelson.South Korean women bring flowers and pledge their eggs to the research univeresity where human stem cells have been cloned.
Less than two weeks ago, Korea’s brilliant star of science Hwang Woo-suk disappeared from the sky, resigning from the World Stem Cell Hub in Seoul amid claims he had improperly obtained human eggs.
Today over a hundred women pledged their own eggs toward further embryonic research and asked for Hwang’s return. In a symbolic gesture of self-sacrifice and support, each presented a flower to members of Seoul National University’s cloning research team, the blooms both real and artificial surrounding a framed photograph of the daring doctor.
Hwang and his lab succeeded in cloning human stem cells last year, and this year produced Snuppy, the first cloned dog. There have been allegations that Hwang’s team paid for human eggs and obtained ova from junior researchers. Announcing his resignation, Hwang publicly apologized: “Being too focused on scientific development, I may not have seen all the ethical issues related to my research,” he said. The South Korean government stated he did nothing illegal.
Women carrying rose of Sharon flowers make symbolic donation of their eggs to Seoul National University’s stem cell research team. Photo: Lee Jae-Won, for Reuters.
Internet fan club, ‘I Love Hwang-woo-suk,’ organized today’s demonstration, a 21st Century human flower project of the first degree. For as well as being globally recognized gifts, flowers, of course, are the sex organs of plants. Ovules (the plant equivalents of human ova) grow protectively deep inside blossoms and “contain a flowering plant’s female sex germs. When they are fertilized by male sex germs, they mature into seeds.” This flower ceremony very literally conveyed the promise of female reproductive cells, ovule for egg.
With Hwang at the forefront of world stem cell science (a competition which for some weird reason is considered morally knottier than the arms race, though just as hot), the flower-for-egg pledge also brimmed with patriotism. Some women sang the Korean national anthem as they waited in line, and many carried not real flowers but facsimiles of Hibiscus syriacus, or Rose of Sharon, the South Korean national flower.
Hwang’s laboratory achievements, his resignation, and the de-flowering enactment today are revelations of cultural variation. Interviewed a year ago, Hwang observed that, whereas American women can sell their ova for up to $4,000 apiece,
“In Korea, they don’t sell their eggs. It’s not a law, but ethically women just wouldn’t trade off their eggs.”
He added,
“They donate for the reasons of religion. For example, in Buddhism, Buddhists would donate to help patients cure their illness.” In many parts of the world, Hwang allowed, this sort of “philanthropy” would seem strange.
Hwang Woo-suk. Photo: Ki Ho Park, for Kistone
Stranger than giving away a cluster of “sacrificed” plant sex organs (a.k.a. a bouquet) to one’s sweetheart?
Flower in hand, one participant in today’s demonstration avowed: “Hwang, who puts forth every ounce of his energy to help mankind, portrays the true image of Buddha.” She’s a 43-year old woman—so who knows how viable her eggs may be? She decided to become an ova donor when her younger brother was paralyzed in a car crash.
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