Gay couples where one or both have non-transmissible HIV will be able to have children via surrogacy thanks to a change in the law.
The changes are expected to benefit gay couples where one or both have HIV who want to have a baby via surrogacy; female couples seeking a sperm donation from a friend who they know to have non-transmissible HIV and lesbian couples planning shared motherhood – the process by which one woman has their eggs collected and fertilised and the other carries the baby.
And at present, lesbian couples are forced for pay for screening for syphilis and genetic tests – which can cost up to £1,000 – while heterosexual couples do not need to undergo these expensive tests, but the changes will eliminate these extra screening costs.The National Aids Trust , which has been calling for change for years, said that the current rules on IVF create an “unjust barrier” for LGBT+ people with HIV who wish to be parents.
Have you heard our new podcast Talking Politics? Every week Tom, Robert and Anushka dig into the biggest issues dominating the political agenda… “We’ve made huge progress in the fight against HIV in the last 40 years and these changes around IVF are yet another example of just how much HIV has changed.”