1,000 signatures reached
To: Stephen Donnelly, Minister for Health
Allow HIV+ people to access IVF
The Minister for Health needs to ensure people with HIV+ can access IVF treatment. Ireland is one of the very few countries that deny people like me IVF treatment and this is heartbreaking.
Myself and my husband want to get pregnant and we need IVF for medical reasons. But now I've been told I can't have IVF because I'm HIV+. [my status is U=U, undetectable equals untransmittable] and not the reason we need IVF treatment in the first place.
The reason given is that there isn't a seperate lab in Ireland to prevent cross contamination. Hepatitis patients (who are also infectious patients) do have access to IVF in Ireland.
Myself and my husband want to get pregnant and we need IVF for medical reasons. But now I've been told I can't have IVF because I'm HIV+. [my status is U=U, undetectable equals untransmittable] and not the reason we need IVF treatment in the first place.
The reason given is that there isn't a seperate lab in Ireland to prevent cross contamination. Hepatitis patients (who are also infectious patients) do have access to IVF in Ireland.
More information can be found on my instagram account https://www.instagram.com/ainy91?igsh=MW84anl2eDg2ZzlkYw==
Why is this important?
Being denied IVF treatment because of being HIV+ is discrimination and needs to change. HIV is no longer a death sentence illness. We have already gone through enough, and now being denied access to fertility treatments because of an archaic system is deeply unfair and further stigmatises people like me.
In countries across the EU, accessing fertility treatment as a HIV+ person is not an issue.
In the past year people whose partners who are HIV+ can to access to IUI. This is amazing, but many of us need IVF for many other reasons.
I wrote about my experience in the Journal.ie https://www.thejournal.ie/hiv-women-ireland-6387696-Jul2024/
Listen to my interview on Cork 96 FM https://shows.acast.com/corks-96-fm-opinion-line/episodes/woman-with-hiv-on-struggle-to-get-fertility-treatment-in-ire
In countries across the EU, accessing fertility treatment as a HIV+ person is not an issue.
In the past year people whose partners who are HIV+ can to access to IUI. This is amazing, but many of us need IVF for many other reasons.
I wrote about my experience in the Journal.ie https://www.thejournal.ie/hiv-women-ireland-6387696-Jul2024/
Listen to my interview on Cork 96 FM https://shows.acast.com/corks-96-fm-opinion-line/episodes/woman-with-hiv-on-struggle-to-get-fertility-treatment-in-ire