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Closed Fund IVF for same sex couples

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At the moment a same sex couple has to have 6 unsuccessful private attempts at conceiving a baby before they can earn 1 free attempt of IVF, that means they are spending tens of thousands of pounds before being entitled to one free attempt on the NHS. One IUI attempt can cost around £3500.

It is unfair that same sex couples have to make such a huge financial sacrifice before even having a child.

Some NHS locations fund single women and same sex couples for conception up to the age of 40, but it’s a postcode lottery. My wife and I are not entitled to funding but would be if we relocated to the next county.

Heterosexual couples are entitled to free IVF if they have been trying to conceive for two years, which fortunately doesn’t cost thousands of pounds.

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  • Related activity

    MPs debate IVF provision

    On Tuesday 24 October, MPs debated access to IVF (in vitro fertilisation). During the debate, MPs discussed a number of issues, including concerns about national inconsistencies in access to funding for IVF and the use of BMI (body mass index) as a method of determining eligibility.

    The debate was led by Kate Osborne MP. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Maria Caulfield MP, responded on behalf of the Government.

    What are Westminster Hall debates?

    Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons.

    Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.

    Debates in Westminster Hall take place on ‘general debate' motions expressed in neutral terms. These motions are worded ‘That this House has considered [a specific matter]'.

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  • Related activity

    New Women's Health Strategy published by the Government

    On Wednesday 20 July the Government published the first ever Women's Health Strategy for England. This document sets out the results of the consultation the Government ran in 2021 on women's health, and the actions it is taking to improve the health of women and girls.

    The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay MP, made a statement on the Strategy and took questions from MPs in the House of Commons, to coincide with the publication of the strategy.

    The Secretary of State's statement outlined the key ambitions and elements of the Strategy. These include:

    • Ensuring that women are better listened to in the NHS
    • Better access to services for all women and girls
    • Addressing the lack of research into women’s health conditions
    • Better information and education on issues relating to women’s health
    • Targeted action on specific areas such as fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, and female-specific health conditions such as endometriosis.

    Actions the Government has said it will take to help achieve these goals include introducing mandatory teaching and assessment on women’s health for all graduating medical students and incoming doctors, and undertaking new research and data gathering to increase understanding of women's health issues.

    You can read the Strategy in full on the UK Government website. The Strategy only covers England as government policy on health matters is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

    Commitments on fertility care

    The Strategy commits the Government to working with NHS England to address geographical variation in access to NHS-funded fertility services across England. This includes more equitable access to fertility services for female same-sex couples, and an end to non-clinical eligibility criteria used by some Clinical Commissioning Groups.

    It also states that the Government will explore publishing data nationally on the provision and availability of IVF, to drive greater transparency of the provision of IVF services across the country.

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  • Petition closed

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    This petition can now be signed.

    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 4 September 2021.