Newfoundland Support IVF

Involuntary infertility affects up to one in six couples in Canada. A diagnosis is a life crisis for couples who want to raise a child. This challenging journey is deepened because medical treatments are not covered under Medicare, and most of the drugs required for infertility treatment are not covered under provincial health care OR private insurance. Many families are interested in adoption, however there are a limited number of children available, the waiting lists are long and the process expensive, if families decide to adopt outside Canada. Some of these children have special needs, increasing the demand on specialists in the healthcare system, which is already over burdened. As part of the continuum of health care, those experiencing infertility need to be served. Newfoundland supports women’s right to choose to terminate a pregnancy, it is an equity issue to support women wanting to give birth to a child. Newfoundland couples experiencing infertility are tax payers who contribute to the tax base in our province. Newfoundlanders experiencing infertility want to raise children in Newfoundland. Supporting couples experiencing infertility will help increase the Newfoundland population. The Newfoundland Government currently offers financial incentives for new children (the $1000.00 Progressive Family Growth Benefit and the $1200.00 Parental Support Benefit). The Government needs to review these policies in order to make a more equitable system. Presently in Newfoundland there is unequal access to infertility – a two-tiered system between those can afford treatments, and those who cannot. For example, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment including related expenses, can cost up to $10,000 in addition to $3,000-$5,000 for required medication. This can increase depending on the province in which treatment is sought (Newfoundland does not currently have a clinic that offers IVF). Decisions made to treat infertility should be based on medical assessments, not financial means, for the safest outcomes for couples and their children. When couples are paying out of pocket for IVF, they often opt for multiple embryo transfers. IUI (Intrauterine insemination) can be performed in NL, but also puts couples at high risk of multiple birth, both of which results in a higher cost to the health care system of caring for women and children born as a result of multiple births. Newfoundland should follow the lead of Ontario and Quebec, both of these provinces cover the costs of IVF for people diagnosed with infertility.