CarnalNation

A British fertility clinic is raffling off a human egg this week to promote its "baby profiling" service, which it insists is legal under UK law. The winner can select the egg donor by education, upbringing and racial background.

The London Bridge Fertility, Gynaecology and Genetics Centre said the treatment actually takes place in the United States. Women interested in having a baby by in vitro fertilisation are invited to attend a seminar on Wednesday, which is organised by Bridge's US partner, the Genetics and IVF Institute (GIVF), based in Fairfax, Virginia.

A handful of British women have already undergone the process, and 10 more are scheduled to do so over the next three months. The clinic expects the figure to rise to 25 or more a month with the pledge that it can provide "take-home babies" for 60 per cent of its clients. The winner gets 13,000 pounds (19,750 dollars, 14,350 euros) worth of free IVF treatment in Virginia.

The sale of eggs for profit is banned in Britain, and donors have to agree that they can be identified and then contacted by their offspring once they turn 18. Donors are in short supply as a result.

US laws allow women to sell their eggs, and can make up to 10,000 dollars a time, depending on the desirability of their profile. GIVF egg donors are university students or graduates aged 19 to 32. Smokers and overweight women are not admitted.