Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. In October last year, the Government approved the drafting of a Bill on assisted human reproduction and associated areas of research. A commitment was given that to support the commencement of the legislation, officials in the Department would work during 2018 with the HSE to develop a model of care for infertility to ensure the provision of safe, effective and accessible services through the public health system as part of the full range of services available in obstetrics and gynaecology. Part of this work was to include identifying policy options for a potential public funding model for assisted human reproduction treatment. Professor Simon Fishel, former chair in human reproduction at the University of Nottingham and founder of CARE Fertility in Britain, has predicted that increasing numbers of young women will freeze their eggs or ovarian tissues to have babies later in life. Fertility treatment is not available to public patients in Ireland although the tax relief for medical expenses scheme can be availed of. An attempt at in vitrofertilisation, IVF, costs up to €5,000. There is not usually just one attempt, which means poor people cannot avail of it.

Fertility preservation services for cancer patients whose treatment is likely to impact on their future fertility are provided by the Rotunda IVF clinic based on the grounds of the Rotunda Hospital. Funding for fertility preservation services for those with a diagnosis of cancer is €259,000. This has been in place since 2003 without increase despite a growing demand for the service. The funding comes to the clinic via the hospital. It sees 160 to 180 men for sperm freezing and 60 women for egg or embryo freezing. While the number of men has stayed roughly the same, there has been a more than 50% increase in the demand for egg or embryo freezing. It froze gametes for 35 women in 2015 and for over 55 women in 2017.

In 2015, the clinic engaged with the HSE and the national cancer control programme, NCCP, to look at additional funding and to perhaps look at improving the service with a view to considering the introduction of ovarian tissue freezing. In January 2017, a pre-tender interest form was submitted by the clinic to potential stakeholders who were interested in offering the service. In September 2017, they were advised that work was being done on a specification document and that engagement with all parties would commence within weeks. It is now more than one year later. If there was a real possibility for State funding for fertility treatment, which is important in order that there is an equal chance for all families to try fertility solutions that suit their circumstances despite the odds, the provision of fertility preservation needs to be seen as part of these services. They are not the same and due consideration should be given to fertility treatment and preservation. The funding for the Rotunda IVF clinic covers fertility preservation for men and woman with a recent diagnosis of cancer. It does not cover fertility treatment itself. As such, it needs to be managed separately and regulation needs to be structured into any funding models introduced. In the past two weeks, the clinic has had requests from a 15 year old and a 16 year old with recent diagnoses of cancer who are looking to the future. The only real option for these girls is ovarian tissue freezing and unfortunately this is not an option in Ireland at this time. One of the first things that will be talked about to a female up to the age of about 45 in the event of diagnosis of cancer will be future fertility particularly for those who do not already have children. More and more women and men are surviving cancer and having their own biological children should not be denied to them if the possibility of preservation is available to them. The HSE has continued to fund this programme and it is very important for those who have needed to avail of the service. We must not ignore the continuing and growing needs of our society and neither should we force families to put off fertility treatment because they do not have the money.