Irish MEP demands Government action to deal with 'heartbreak' of infertility

Fertility Europe has ranked Ireland 40th out of 43 countries for access to fertility treatment — with only Poland, Albania and Armenia below us. Picture: PA

An Irish MEP has said fertility information should be included in sexuality education classes in schools as part of a new EU white paper.

About one in six couples in Ireland will suffer with fertility issues, a statistic which mirrors the overall EU rate.

Fertility Europe has ranked Ireland 40th out of 43 countries for access to fertility treatment — with only Poland, Albania and Armenia below us.

In its white paper, The Imperative of Equal Access to Fertility Treatments across Europe, it writes: "Unfortunately, funding of fertility treatment in Europe is very diverse — from unlimited in Israel and Serbia, through generous in Belgium, France and Finland, to non-existent in Poland, Ireland (where it is under legal proceedings) and Armenia.

Systemic lack of funding puts those needing costly fertility treatment, already stressed and exhausted, in the distressing situation of gathering funds that are often beyond their reach."

The Government committed to publicly-funded IVF in Budget 2023, but no further clarity has been provided thus far as to how this will be implemented.

As part of her role on the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Dublin MEP Frances Fitzgerald has said people can no longer turn a "blind eye" to the heartbreak of infertility.

Writing in the white paper, Ms Fitzgerald said: "Infertility has a deeply personal and heartbreaking resonance for so many Europeans. With one in six couples worldwide experiencing some form of infertility, it is long overdue to ensure that access to fertility treatments and psychological support are available to all Europeans."

Frances Fitzgerald: 'We need to see action on this from the Department of Health. Across Europe, governments are funding treatments, supporting couples and families to deal with infertility.' Picture: Robbie Reynolds

She added on Tuesday: "The first solution must be to inform people about the facts. This is why the proposal to include fertility information in our curriculum for relationship and sexuality education is so important.

Treatments are available and if we do not give people the information they need they may continue to silently struggle alone. Ireland does not have a great record in this area."

The white paper contains 12 recommendations to improve equal access to safe and efficient fertility treatments.

These include:

• Creating safe and inclusive regulations considering the rights of all parties — people who need medical help to conceive, children, donors and surrogates;
• Guaranteeing legal access to treatment without any form of discrimination to all who need it;
• Providing sufficient funding for the whole range of treatments that allow people a reasonable chance to have children.

Ms Fitzgerald added: "We need to see action on this from the Department of Health. Across Europe, governments are funding treatments, supporting couples and families to deal with infertility. Ireland should not be bottom of the class."

- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.