Is it right that lesbian couples should get IVF?

Question

The authority that regulates IVF has said lesbian couples should be given the treatment. Is it not a fact that any species that procreate needs a male and female. I have nothing against gay or lesbians but I feel that nature should be the decider in who bears children not some government quango. There are many normal couples desperate for children. I also believe children should be brought up in a normal family of a father and mother.

I expected a varied response. Normal in respect of producing children is a male and a female. I am not homophobic in any way. It was a topic raised on TV today and I thought it would be a good discussion point. To the person who stated male and female parents are not always the best. I agree that many do not deserve to be responsible for children.

Answer 1

I am not homophobic and have nothing against lesbians, but in my opinion they should not have priority over obese women in a male-female relationship.

Lesbians make the choice to be with another woman, thus foregoing their opportunity to naturally have children.

A lot of male-female couples are desperate to have children and I think they should have priority. Also, a point to consider is that the reports are saying that lesbians should have more rights than obese women, though are they considering that these women might be obese because of conditions such as polycystic ovaries, which also causes problems with fertility.

Answer 2

Personally, I do not see why a lesbian should not receive IVF. I am a lesbian, and I am looking into IVF. Now, define "normal couples", as a lesbian, I am raising my sisters 2 children because she is an unfit mother and so was the father. The judge ruled on my behalf even though I am a lesbian. They are both fully aware that I am a lesbian and I am in a committed relationship. My partner has a son, he is being raised in a normal home. I feel that it all depends on the person whether IVF should be performed or not. I would love to have a child of my own, I have tried the "normal way" however, since a child I have had problems with my reproductive organs. It's not the fact that I am a lesbian that I would get IVF, it's the fact that I am infertile. Now, I completely understand where you are coming from. But have you ever lived with a committed lesbian couple? We are respectful to our children as you would be, we teach our children right from wrong, and we teach our children to be accepting. I don't think nature or the government should be the judge. Only the person them self and God can judge.

Answer 3

More than 50 percent of marriages today end in divorce...a lot of kids who are born to a heterosexual couple are not raised in a "normal" family with both a father and mother...should those kids be taken away. Not to mention how many people have children that don't want them and how many children are raised in abusive households because of it, or even how many children are given up because they are unwanted. If two women can raise a child in a loving household and give it a warm family and home life..then why would that be worse than a family of children who are neglected, beaten and abused. Or how is it different than a family whose father left years before, and are now raised by a single mother? there are so many different kinds of families, you can't single out one type of family and tell them they don't have a right. And yea, there are a lot of straight couples desperate for children, but they can also get IVF treatment...jsut cause a lesbian couple has it done doesnt mean that a straight couple can't have it done also. be a little more open minded.

-- I just read the other responses...my mother works in IVF and no couple gets priority over another couple, straight or gay...if you pay for the treatment, you get it according to when you sign up.

Answer 4

This is one of those questions, where i dont have strong views... but feel the need to give you your answer.

Ok, so how many lesbian couples do you think will come forward for IVF? 100000........ 20000........ 100?

If you knew, a really nice pair of girls(lets not call them lesbians for 1 minute) who loved each other, both worked, and kept a really tidy home, and had been your good friends for ten years, would you turn round to them, say they werent normal, and that they shouldnt be allowed to raise a child?

If you would, you need to get rid of your tv, and never buy another newspaper, as you have let your mind be overwhelmed by the hate spouted form the media

If your answer was yes, you need to consider, that in any other case where you might say no, you would be a hypocrite.

Belive it or not, i have a problem with IVF for anyone. I dont think it should be available, our race is getting so much weaker, due to all this modern science, IVF is just another nail in the coffin.. soon no babies will be born without Csection.. heads too big, women not allowed to adapt....

Its a terrible concept i know, but i belive adoption is the way to go
So now comes the nonsense about me being a man, and never being able to understand, what basicly is a womans show piece, well guess what, adoption, is alot better for civilization, than IVF..

Answer 5

If we are going to live in an equal society where we have respect for one another then why shouldn't they have the opportunity to become parents? Although I think that there should be some guidelines imposed, I also recognise that out family structures have changed dramatically over the past 50 years and that itself has brought problems for our children, but ultimately a loving home is a loving home regardless of gender.
I myself have one child, have had an ectopic pregnancy and only have one tube left which has Been scarred so it is impossible for me to fall pregnant without IVF, but I have also been told that I would have to pay £2000 to get it but I am thankful for the child I have and know what a gift it is. So I have no problem with anyone fighting for their right to become a parent and just because you have a lesbian couple it does not mean that their need to become a mother would be any less than mine. As for the obese women who want to become parents getting less chances, physically they run more risk to their health because of the drug treatment so it would really be their consultants decision on whether or not they got the go ahead.

Answer 6

Its not who should be 'allowed' to have children but rather who can afford it, I dont believe that IVF should be free, if people really want kids they should be prepared to sacrifice adn save for the chance.
I have a lesbian friend who simply slept with men till she got pregnant, then took the poor guy to court for maintenance for the duration, she knew at the outset there was never gonna be a relationship cos she had a girlfriend, is that a better way of doing it? cos its always an option
at least with IVF the women have made a commitment to each other and the child. Better to have two mums than only one parent shouldering the whole responsibliity. Get real, this is the modern age.
Just because people r born gay they shouldnt be denied the right to procreate, the same goes for gay men.

Answer 7

Great discussion! I think that lesbians should be allowed IVF and gay men should be able to adopt and have segregate mothers. Most hetro couples don't deserve to be parents and I am sure its the same for gay couples too, but I think no matter what sexuality you are you should always have the opportunity to become a parent, its a great satisfaction. The way the world is today with so many single young mothers I don't think its fair to deny gay couples this right, If they are allowed to get married (which is a legal binding commitment) they should be able to decide whether they want children or not.

Answer 8

Well, while I respect your right to your opinion, I must beg to disagree. Yes, it is perfectly fine for lesbians to get IVF.

One of the things you state is that nature should decide who can and who cannot bear children. Does that mean that heterosexual couples who have trouble conceiving should also be denied fertility treatments and procedures such as IVF? Should they just be declared out of luck and out of the running to become parents simply because of nature?

And what of "normal" families? Many families fall apart, or one of the parents leaves, or one of the parents dies. Would you then have society take away the children because they are no longer in an environment with both a father and a mother?

I think that if lesbian couples want IVF, that's just fine. I also believe if they want to go with adoption, that's fine as well. I think the same thing about gay males. The most important thing, to my thinking, is that children be wanted by those who prepare to receive them, whether they prepare by 9 months of pregnancy, or by going through the adoption process.

The homosexual couples I know who have children all have normal, happy, stable families, homes, and lives. And you know what? They (the mommies or daddies) had to go through a lot to get their kids, so you know that they had to do some serious thinking and that they were completely committed to the idea of parenthood before they became parents. I actually have a lot more faith in them as parents than I do in two 19-year-old kids who got married because a condom broke, and their folks would have a fit if the neighbors found out the girl was pregnant. Homosexual couples rarely deal with "unwanted" or "unplanned" pregnancies, unless they are the ones who adopt the unwanted babies. And they generally make great, stable parents, so who am I, or you, for that matter, to judge them or say they should not be parents?

Answer 9

It is a very difficult and highly emotive issue. There are many situations where single women end up looking after a child alone, through divorce, death of their partner etc. so part of me is inclined to say that a child which grows up in the presence of two parents (whatever sex they be) is essentially at an advantage. There are many children up for adoption which these women could take as their own, releiving a great burden on the state and foster carers etc. However, if a lesbian wants to become pregnant they will get pregnant regardless by using a man's sperm. Therefore for the very small percentage of lesbian couples who cannot bear children due to fertility problems, it could be a good thing to allow them not to feel discriminated against, and pave the way for equality. This is not a naturalistic argument, I simply think there is a wider poplitical issue at play.

Answer 10

There are other forms for lesbians to have children such as artificial insemination and adoption. I don't think you like the idea of lesbians having children full stop.

The NHS is overstretched and this 'think tank' was thinking of ideas to redistribute the small amount of money IVF gets. The rules vary very differently from area to area at the moment and this was just a chance to level the goalposts.

Personally, I'd allow just one cycle, ban smokers and anyone earning over £250,000 a year, anyone past the menopause, anyone with a history of being in a violent relationship (not a good role model for the child) and encourage more adoption.