Posted on 05/07/2006 7:18:32 PM PDT by Coleus
AT FIRST glance, they could be any ordinary family, enjoying an evening stroll on the beach at sunset. But to one-and-a-half-year-old Anna, the two women holding her hands are Mummy and Mama. She will never know more than a few details about her father, a sperm donor - and her lesbian mothers believe the happy and loving childhood they are providing for her is enough. Helen and Leanne, from Edinburgh, paid £350 to conceive Anna through donor insemination. It was a difficult and emotional process but they are delighted with the results and are planning another baby soon.
Their joy, however, represents one side of an emotionally charged debate over the right of healthy gay couples to have fertility treatment while heterosexual couples with infertility problems are forced to wait years for treatment due to chronic egg and sperm donation shortages. Helen and Leanne, both 34 and together for seven years, do not believe their sexual orientation should be used to stop them seeking help in future. Leanne, the birth mother, said: "It is a thorny issue. My own personal view on the issue of fertility treatment is that if you are not conceiving, for whatever reason, then the choices that you make are your own."
Leanne underwent donor insemination privately at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, and after five attempts she became pregnant. "Before we had Anna we would see mums with babies and ask ourselves why it had to be so difficult for us," explained Leanne. "We knew we could give so much, offer a wonderful home to a child - it was heartbreaking. "At first Helen did not feel it was fair to give our lifestyle choice to another human being. But she changed her mind when we discussed it. Anna is given so much love. She thinks she is the best little creature in the world, she is such a happy little girl.
"Anna is our daughter and she has characteristics from both of us. Children pick up mannerisms so fast. Biology is such a small part of it." But infertility support groups fear that using precious sperm and egg donations to treat gay couples, and even single women, may jeopardise the chances of heterosexual couples with fertility problems. Infertility affects around 75,000 couples in Scotland and demand for NHS-funded assisted conception has increased dramatically over the past decade as sexually transmitted diseases, obesity and smoking have fuelled infertility rates.
Scotland has just four specialist treatment centres for IVF treatment - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen - to which patients are referred from across the country. But there is huge disparity in their provision because the treatment is subject to local priorities. Couples in some areas are waiting up to five years for treatment. The average wait is two years before receiving the first cycle of IVF.
Health bosses in Forth Valley, Lothian and Fife have all confirmed they will refer gay couples for IVF treatment that will be funded by the NHS. Doctors in Highland, Borders, Glasgow and Clyde will refer them for private treatment. Similarly, some health boards will also treat single women on the NHS, while others will refer privately. Three health boards - Dumfries and Galloway, Orkney, and Shetland - failed to respond to requests for information. IVF campaigners have criticised the decisions to give fertility treatment to same-sex couples and single women at a time when sperm donations are at an all-time low.
Sheena Young, Scottish coordinator of the National Infertility Support Network, said there were currently around 60 couples waiting for treatment in Scotland, while many are forced to go abroad. She said: "I have no problem with anyone with fertility problems receiving treatment and no problem with single women or same-sex couples receiving treatment. However, at the moment in Scotland, we have a severe shortage of sperm donors and we have heterosexual couples suffering from an illness called infertility.
"Those couples need to be the priority at the moment.We are in such a crisis with donor sperm that couples with a biological problem need to be the priority." She added: "The biggest problem is not whether same-sex couples or single women should be treated, the biggest problem is trying to recruit donors." Currently Scotland has just a single active donor, from Tayside, who is donating sperm. When 10 couples have had babies using his sperm, for which he is paid just £15 a sample, he will be automatically disqualified from making further donations.
Hospitals are now desperately seeking more donors and are having to buy in extra donations from sperm banks in London and Denmark. At Edinburgh Royal Infirmary the waiting list for donor insemination has already been closed and Dundee is expected to follow. But despite the shortage, gay rights groups insisted lesbian couples should be able to access fertility treatment.
Fergus McMillan, policy manager for gay support group LGBT Youth Scotland, said: "There is no credible evidence that same-sex couples do not make better parents than heterosexual couples. If health boards refuse to treat same-sex couples, that's simple discrimination." The Scottish Executive is currently undertaking a review of infertility treatment in Scotland and is proposing extending the upper age limit for women to begin having treatment from 37 to 40 years old. It has also asked that other criteria for NHS-funded IVF treatment should also be extended.
Tory health spokeswoman Nanette Milne said gay couples should explore adoption before artificial insemination. She said: "The ideal upbringing for children is two parents with a male and a female role model. It can be very upsetting for couples who cannot have children, and that would also apply to same-sex couples. "Ultimately children need good parents and we should be looking at helping couples, whatever sex they are, by helping them to adopt youngsters who need to be looked after by good parents."
Do you really want your sons to be raised by Lesbians?
The little girl will grow up gender retarded.
She'll have no idea what the concept of "Daddy" means. She'll always think "Daddy" means a hairy, perverted dyke.
anecdote BS.
That child is sooo going to be screwed up.
Every honest study always shows those children SHALL be scared. (The new zeland study really comes to mind)
No way no how should homosexuals be allowed near children.
Do not forget this IVF BS brings up the issue of recreational sex partner adoption (what homos call second parent adoption) She may have had IVF but the sex partner is a legal ZERO unless a legal adoption takes place.
Hmmmm....
The question is why type of men would go to get a payment for such a donation?
Penis Envy meets the Law of Nature. "It takes a sperm".
IVF is for women with fertility problems. Are either of these women not able to get pregnant the normal way?
We hear about how this is "consenting adults".
When does the child consent to be a part of this relationship?
We are also told that this is "in private".
The child will be reminded of "mummy and momma"'s special relationship every day.
College students raising beer money?
Do they still give IVF to SINGLE women here in the states....they did 19 years ago....I have a "relative" to prove it.
You can take infants and brainwash them to believe any sick, perverted twisted behavior is "normal".
Homo's.
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