‘Gay Tax’ barrier facing UK couples starting a family

Same-sex couples have to pay thousands of pounds before they can access IVF fertility treatment through the NHS in contrast to the process for heterosexual couples which has been labelled as a “Gay Tax”, according to a report.

As reported by the BBC, NHS England funds IVF for heterosexual couples who have been trying to conceive, unsuccessfully, for at least two years whilst other details such as age and weight status.

However, campaigners are aggrieved that same-sex couples face a different process in that they need to prove their infertility before the NHS will commit to IVF but as part of this, they must pay for several rounds of artificial insemination.

This BBC report details that some couples have spent in excess of £20,000 on the treatment.

That is a huge detriment to being able to start a family for a lot of people in the UK, with several examples detailed by the BBC.

A same-sex couple from Dorset, Sarah and Faye, both aged 33, were faced with costs of £30,000 for artificial insemination. So far they have spent their life savings of £22,000 to no avail. Their experience has made them feel they are being discriminated against.

Kate and her wife Keri, spent more than £17,00o on AI and IVF. After they moved to China for a couple of years to both work as teachers and crucially to build savings, Kate gave birth to their child earlier this year.

The government has previously pledged fairer access to NHS fertility treatment for same-sex couples and single women, but to date, nothing meaningful has changed.

Campaigners are striving for the need to privately fund treatment to be abolished and for parity to be established, as well as holding the government to its promise.

This applies to England – with access varying by locality – as well as Wales and Northern Ireland.