Americans Go to Recession Extremes for Pay

Americans are going to extremes to pay the bills in the recession. Some women have decided to donate their eggs to childless couples trying for a family to make much-needed cash.

(Getty/ABC News)

Recession Pushes Some to Surrogacy

Charlene Clymore of Fresno, Calif., a surrogate mother through the agency, says if it wasn't for the $25,000 she is receiving for her services, her two children would be in a devastating situation.

"We would lose our car," she said. "We would lose the roof over our head."

But, for Clymore, the decision to become a surrogate mother is about more than money; it makes her feel good to help an infertile couple have a baby.

Finkbeiner also believes that she is making a contribution by helping advance medical research. "There are people that may need this medication and it cannot be on the market until it has been tested by people like myself," she said.

Indeed, according to Gary Zammit, CEO of Clinilabs, a New York City-based clinical research center, most people who participate in clinical studies do it for more than the money.

Related

'Sexting' Teens Can Go Too Far

Contraceptives Not Sold Here

What Downturn? Some Businesses Thrive

"The majority of people who participate in our studies do so because they like the idea of contributing to medical science and at the same time have the opportunity to supplement their income," Zammit said. "Every medication that is available to consumers today -- both prescription and over-the-counter -- was evaluated in clinical studies that involved volunteers."

Zammit says that some participants also receive medical examinations and quality health care during the trials because of the close monitoring that studies require.

But critics say that it's too dangerous for patients to enroll in clinical trials for the money.

"It's reasonable for people to be paid modest amounts to enroll in clinical trials for any time lost or cost incurred to get to the site, but that should be all that they get, " said Peter Lurie, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, a Ralph Nader-founded advocacy group in Washington, D.C. "Any amount of money that acts as an incentive and allows people to take risks that they would otherwise not take is an incentive that is too large."

While medical experiments are supervised by licensed professionals, researchers say that there might be long-term side effects from taking medication that has yet to be approved -- risks that more Americans are apparently willing to take to survive these difficult times.