NHS agree to pay the IVF treatment for lesbian couple
A lesbian couple began a legal battle after being denied treatment by their local care trust because they were both women, one of the women has polycystic ovary syndrome, which can lead to infertility.
The law that states "need of a father" will no longer be taken into consideration in October, however at present trusts can decide if to fund the treatment for same sex couples. From October same sex couples need to show evidence that that can offer "supportive parenting".
According to the Times newspaper "The changes in the law should mean that no infertile lesbian is refused NHS fertility treatment on the grounds of her sexual orientation" comments made in an interview with Ruth Hunt, the head of policy at Stonewall.
"We have just published a guide on how to get pregnant for lesbians in response to lots of queries. This is a hot topic for us at the moment."
Under the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008, which came into force in May, means that lesbian couples who are not in a civil partnership can share equal responsibility for a child born as a result of IVF, rather than the birth-mother only.
