A debate began on Thursday before the House Health Committee on much-needed amendments to the island’s in-vitro fertilization bill that needs modernization, Philenews reports.
The main issue will be whether the state should fork out higher subsidies for the assisted reproduction considering that data shows one in six couples seem to face infertility issues.
Under the scheme currently in place by the Ministry of Health each woman is entitled to get €2,500 – plus free pharmaceuticals and relevant medical tests – for a total of four attempts.
Committee MPs had requested approval for the state to grant €5,000 to each woman for the first of four IVF attempts but this was rejected by the former government whose term ended on March 1. It is expected that the proposal will now be re-submitted.
At the same time, the right to in vitro fertilization up to the age of 53 and other crucial issues will be also debated.
For example, whether a surrogate mother in the case of a single woman who wishes to have a child but is unable to conceive should be allowed.
Thursday’s discussion also focused on whether a child resulting from an IVF procedure should have the right to be informed after reaching adulthood of the identity of the donor – that is, the biological father or mother.
