The Big Question

Should people be tested for their suitability as parents
before undergoing fertility treatment?

Jean Stogdon Carer and Grand- parents Plus
chair

No. Nobody is trained or assessed before they become parents,
and the situation for couples facing IVF is stressful enough.
Infertility treatment often lasts a long time and there are
opportunities for professionals to informally assess people.

Karen Shook Disability equality adviser

Applications for treatment are considered individually and
should not include suitability tests. Who decides who is a
“suitable parent”? This is the sort of discrimination perpetrated
by the Nazis when they decided who would be “allowed” to
“breed”.

Joan Scott Action Unlimited

No. People who want IVF treatment should have the same rights as
anyone else to have children. Rules about who can be parents will
be used against people with learning difficulties. Social services
said I should not have a second child but I have successfully
brought up seven!

Angie Lawrence Single parent

No. The decision whether to treat should be left to clinical
judgement, and also be less bureaucratic. Nobody checks the
suitablility of parents whose children are born as a result of
unplanned pregnancies. At least IVF couples are sure that they want
children

 

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