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Lodged au Greffe on 9th April Stephenson of St. Mary , St. Ouen and St. Peter Earliest date for debate: 30th April I am a founding governor of the local fertility support charity Tiny Seeds and have lived experience of infertility and IVF. I have no financial interest, however, and have taken advice on my charity position in relation to this matter and am content that this should not be barrier to me bringing such a proposition, particularly as working towards an improved funding model for IVF was a manifesto commitment.
Tiny Seeds is the only charity of its kind in the Island and therefore it has not been possible to avoid using its local data in this report, given its valuable nature to the issue under discussion and often a lack of such data from government.
In addition, it should be noted that I also have no personal financial interest in this proposition as NICE guidance criteria would exclude me from qualifying from funding. Infertility is a disease, as defined by the World Health Organisation. Since the birth of the first child following In Vitro Fertilisation in , millions of babies have been born around the world thanks to the procedure. Many others have resulted from lower-level fertility treatments, such as medicines, surgical procedures and intrauterine insemination.
The right to start a family is enshrined in local and international human rights law. In Jersey, access to low level fertility treatments is, in the main, good and many are funded through the health service. The service is not yet universal for all, however, and requires improvement. The Cost-of-Living crisis is making it worse. Evidence collected by the local fertility support charity Tiny Seeds as part of its Cost of Living and IVF Impact Survey [3] shows that some Islanders requiring IVF have no other choice but to put themselves into debt, others are having to choose between trying to have a family and buying a home, and some have even left or are considering leaving the Island, either for a cheaper way of life which will allow them to fund their treatment.
