A New York fertility clinicis holding acontest forfree in vitro fertilization ababy raffle, if you will. Its like the lottery, only insteadof winning a million bucks, 30winnerswillget the chanceata real,live genetically relatedhuman baby.In a dystopian flourish, theirnameswill be announced on Facebook Live for the world to see.

The contestis open to women under the age of 44 who have been referred for IVF and have never been to New Hope Fertility Center.The cost of a single IVF cycle typically costs around $12,000 to $15,000, so thetotal value of the prizeson offer is at least$36,000.

New Hope says the contest isbeing held to mark National Infertility Awareness Week, which began this week. The aim, says a press release, is to spread awareness about this growing epidemic and encourage open discussions about infertility and how it affects people around the country.

Of course, its also a great way to drum up national and even international publicity for the clinic, which wasfounded by Dr. John Zhang, who is no stranger to the spotlight. He made headlines this yearfor using a controversial technique tocreate the worlds first three-parent baby and, before that, for facilitatingthe oldest in-vitro pregnancy.

But he isnt the first to conceive of this baby lottery idea. The UK charity To Hatch held a similar lottery in 2011, only it (incredibly) charged people$25to enter the contest. The schemedrew intense controversy, with critics alleging that it exploited the vulnerability of couples struggling with infertility. As a spokesperson for The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, a clinic regulator,told The Independent,We are strongly of the view that using IVF as prize in a lottery is wrong and entirely inappropriate. It trivializes what is for many people a central part of their lives.

At least in this case, women dont needto buyalottery ticket but the winners will have to pay thecost of participating in the clinics social media stunt.The lottery will be drawnon May 5th at 2p.m. during thelive Facebook event.

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New York Fertility Clinic Holds Baby 'Lottery' - Vocativ - Vocativ