Wife claims fertility treatment is denied
Monday 4th May 2009, 11:00AM BST.
A Shropshire woman who desperately wants to have a child and is seeking fertility treatment from the NHS, claims she faces discrimination under a health service policy.
Janine Macallister, 27, of Newport, near Telford, says she is denied treatment under the current fertility funding policy of NHS Telford & Wrekin because her husband has children from a previous relationship.
She has now decided to take her case through the official complaints and appeals procedure of the trust.
In a letter to the trust’s director of commissioning, Mrs Macallister says she believes she has a “strong case of indirect discrimination” against the organisation.
She is prepared to “fight all the way” for treatment and take her case to the Court of Human Rights in Brussels.
Mrs Macallister claims the trust is classing she and her husband, Jason, as one, which she says is wrong.
Problem
“I am the one who has the problem, not my husband and I am the one in need of treatment, not my husband,” she said in the letter.
“I would completely understand you denying us treatment if we already had a child together, which is not the case.
“My husband has two children with a different woman which he hardly sees, and which don’t have anything to do with me.”
Mrs Macallister said today: “I really do want a child and it’s making me unhappy that I can’t. It really is affecting our lives.
“If I chose to leave my husband, and pick at random a man who didn’t have a child, then I would be treated. It makes me so upset and angry.
“We pay our taxes and this is the first time that we have needed special treatment from the NHS but we can’t get it.”
In a statement NHS Telford & Wrekin said: “We are not able to comment on individual cases.
“However, we can confirm that the policy regarding fertility treatment is currently under review.
“We would like to assure Mrs Macallister that any correspondence will be responded to as soon as possible.”
By Health Correspondent Dave Morris
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About time someone did something about this. I think its absolutely disgusting that in this day and age with all this modern technology that infertility is still not classed as an illness even though it requires treatment. I would like to know what would happen if cancer treatment was witheld because of smoking. We all pay our taxes and yet are not entitled to medical treatment. PCT’s should not have to right to decide who receives fertility treatment when we pay our taxes. Well done to Janine for putting this in the public eye.
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With reference to the lady who desperately wants a child. I think it is disgusting that she is being denied this on the NHS, it isn’t as if she already has a child, she doesn’t so why can’t the NHS help her. Surely this is wrong, i thought that they helped for the first child. They did when i had fertility treatment 13 years ago
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It took me over a year to conceive my first daughter, naturally. I couldn’t image the anguish and depression that Janine is going through. Having a child is a precious joy that all women should be able to achieve, however not everyone can get pregnant naturally.
It pains me to see the millions of abortions that are carried out each year by careless women who decide not to continue with a precious gift that they have been given.
There are some women in this country who have already got families are still given fertility treatment and conceive multiple pregnancies. ie the woman in america who had octuplets and alreaday had 6 children.
surely an individual assessment should be carried out for each woman.
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I cant see how a child or children from her partners previous relationship should make any diference to her plight for a child. It is every womans right to be a mother. Being infertile is a living hell and it consumes your life. In reality what they are doing is delaying her misery. She is young enough to get pregnant with the aid of fertility treatment and should be offered it as her right. She should not have to fight this, it should be offered to her. I too had to resort to fertility treatment due to a fast growing tumour and because of rules and policies I had to pay privately. The whole PCT guidelines need to be looked at as a matter of urgency.
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I think that its terrible thing to go through, as if Janine isnt going through enough stress trying to get the treatment. I have heard that there are a few areas that give the first set of treatments free of charge, and I dont see why Janine cannot qualify for this as it will be her FISRT child. I cannot imagine what she is going through, as a mother myself my heart goes out to her. I hope that she gets what she desperatley wants, treatment, so she can have her own child.
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Its discusting how they treat people, I to have been having problems getting fertility treatment for endometriosis and have been told so many different stories non of which have been true or have happened. Why should they be allowed to decide who gets a fair chance to be a mother/family. I take inspiration from this lady and hope she is not ignored for the sake of alot of ladies with fertility problems who have been made to feel unworthy of treatment.
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I guess there are many people who are in the same boat so they have to have some rules.
There may be other reasons as well such as age of the husband and weight. I know a friend of mine was denied because she was overweight.
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I dont agree with this completely but i do understand that treatment is very expensive so they have to have limits for FREE nhs treatment ie weight, health other children in the family.
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Ever thought of adoption?
Why not follow the example of being a good mother that Madonna has set us?
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I am absolutely angry with the way how system treats women with infertility problems and I see this case as human discrimination and totally agree with Janine M to take this case to the court and if needs to Court of Human Rights in Brussels.
The point is every women disserve a right to be a mother, and I think this is unfair after we are paying Tax and NHS contributions somebody to tell us that we are not qualified for treatment from NHS.
Did anyone thought what this women she is going through??
Well done Janine to bring this subject to the public eyes.
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Good Luck Janine i totally agree with your fight its outrageous that you are being refused this treatment, but sadly it is always the case that a good person never gets what they deserve and have earned in life, and the scum are rated above you. Fingers x’d for you honey xx
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If only life was so straight forward that we all meet our husband at the perfect age and get married and we have a family but real life is not like that. These days most of us have had a past before we settle down completely and allowances have to be made for real life situations. Janine has a right to get this treatment, I am lucky enough to know Janine and I know how much she would love a child and what a lovely Mother she would be. Its an easy way out to say they will not comment on individual cases!!!
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Every woman has the right to become a mother . As this woman doesnt have any of her own biological children she shouldnt be denied treatment.
I will also say only people who have been through infertility truly understand how hard it is
i wish you all the luck
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Well done Janine for bringing this to the attention of the media. It is Janine’s husband who has children, she is the one who needs the treatment and is desperate to become a mother. They both work and pay taxes and are in a loving relationship. The only thing missing now is a child of their own.
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I think it is terrible that a married woman can be denied fertility treatment that she would be otherwise be entitled to should her husband not already have children. Although a spouses children can play a significant and fulfilling part in someone’s life this cannot be compared to having a child of your own. It is every woman’s right to have a child, treatment should be available for everyone on an equal rights basis and to me the fact that a woman can be denied fertility treatment because her husband alone already has a child seems an infringement of basic human rights.
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This is complete and utter discrimination which is happening. I am totally disgusted and shocked that is todays supposed ” equal society”, the NHS can be allowed to discriminate in this way.
To Lucy W i suggest you google and look at the adoption process before you make misinformed comments. Adoption if you are talking about international costs thousands and thousand of pounds, I can only hope you never have to suffer the pain and heartache that infertility brings.
Infertility treatment should be available to all, if the NHS can afford to treat overweight people and give them gastric bands for FREE and treat people who smoke for lung cancer for FREE then fertility treatment should be free for all.
Blatant discrimination
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The whole situation is appaling in this day and age with government giving monies to other countries to help them, this lady has to BEG !!!!!!!!for what is natural to most women. I worked for the NHS for over Forty Years and left because of the beaurocracy of it all. Telford PCT listen and learn!!!!!
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I support janine in her fight,this woman is suffering does noone take this into account, when making these life changing decisions.Its not her fault that her husband has two children fromformer relationship,so why punish her ??
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i am shocked and appalled by our supposedly supportive nhs. this system was set up to provide health care for everybody, to deny a person treatment because their partner has a child is disgusting. they are denying a woman her chance to bring life into this world. what next denying a cancer patient treatment because they have already had it?
janine i wish you and hubby all the luck in the world and i hope that your plight raises issues and the laws are changed. good on you for making this public.
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I agree with everything that has already been said here. You should not be penalised because your partner has a child/children. My dr once told me that even herion addicts have been getting free funding! What is the world coming to! Do not give up Janine, we are all behind you!
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This is a disgrace.
This poor couple are fighting hard to have a baby together and are been denied this by the NHS.This Lady deserves the right to have a child and should be getting the help she needs to have a baby.
Yes her Husband does have children, but she doesn’t so the fact he has children should not matter.
There are people out there that have children who don’t even want them and this poor couple are desperate for a child. It is sick and something NEEDS to be about this.
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About time someone is taking on the trust I have been refused ivf treatment also i am fed up with the trust treating us this way we are individuals and should be treated as such with each case looked at individualy Affter all these are local guide lines not national ones
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I dont agree with discrimination against anyone but the costs of IVF are so huge that the NHS (unfortunately) do have to make some considerations about who gets the treatment. Maybe if a large majority of people stopped suing the hospitals and using the system for minor things, then there would be more money in the pot for worthwhile treatments! By the way Janine is not the only woman in the UK (or even this area) who has been denied treatment – I have a close friend who has had the very same thing denied to her because she is in exactly the same situation as Janine – she is now looking at other alternatives.
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I wholeheartedly support Janine. It is very sad and unfair that through no fault of her own, Janine should be denied the opportunity and the experience of Motherhood just because she is married to someone who already has children.
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I may find myself in the firing left after this but all the comments seem to suggest that it is every womans right to reproduce, sometimes it is just natures way of saying sorry, no can do.
We have recently seen a local man battling to get treatment for an eyesight issue; the thing is the money can only be spent once and somebody has to make difficult decisions regarding scarce financial resources. Do we rob Peter to pay Paul?
Has anyone considered that the reason the rule is enforced is to stop errant men from fathering all over the place and leaving the tax-payer to pick up the future funding?
There is a right to life in the human rights act not a right to create life.
All said and done good luck to you.
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For some time I have argued that denying someone assistance to conceive is denying them of their human rights. I firmly believe that everyone has the right to equal treatment by the NHS irrespective of their location, age or their partner’s family status from a previous relationship.
If Mrs Macallister was covered by Worcestershire PCT she would not be discriminated against like this. This postcode lottery is unforgivable. NHS Telford & Wrekin should be ashamed of themselves. Infertility is a hard enough issue to deal with let alone all this extra strain the local PCT is putting on couples that they are charge to care for.
Thankfully though it does seem that the wheels of justice are turning in regards to couples suffering from infertility problems for some couples in the UK.
The East of England Strategic Health Authority just last week said that they will offer treatment inline with full NICE guidelines. Let’s hope this commonsense approach comes to Shropshire soon!
I wish this couple the very best.
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I wish Mrs Macallister well with her complaint. Whilst I understand the funding pressures that the NHS is under, the misery of infertility must not be underestimated. The impact it has on every aspect of life is not acknowledged in society.
Those who have no personal experience often make unhelpful comments about adoption without considering what it really means to have no prospect of carrying a child of your own.
Rather than a political answer of the fertility treatment policy being under review I would like to hear NHS Telford & Wrekin confirm the date that this review will have completed. Too often these reviews drag on for months and years, never reaching a conclusion and leaving hundreds of postcode lottery patients with a frustrating wait for an answer.
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As someone who has been through IVF herself and paid for every single treatment, I find it appalling that we are discriminated against because of our choice of partner. I have fertility problems anyway, but because my partner already has children, then we have no option, but to pay for hugely expensive treatment in order to try and realise our dream of having a family… Everyone should be treated the same, regardless of yoru postcode
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With global warming and the carbon cost of have children why is the NHS providing fertility treatment in the first place?
If anything IQ test should be administered to those seeking infertility treatment, and if there is a very high enough chance that their offspring would benefit humanity then they should be given treatment.
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I totally agree with Mrs Macallister, why should she be denied treatment because her husband has kids. In this day and age most people form new relationships so why shoule they be denied the chance to be mothers?.
I am in the same situation as mrs Macallister and there is no way we can afford treatment either due to other commitments. Why should we be denied treatment because of where we live or stupid rules. I agree it is a breach of our human rights x
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Janine is my daughter, and I have seen the sadness that the decision by the trust has had upon Janine and Jason. What have Jasons children to do with Janine ??? She wants children of her own, and I want to be a Grandad !!! I think that the trust should reconsider their decision, and grant the IVF treatment, which would make Janine,Jason, and myself very happy !!
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marco said:”If anything IQ test should be administered to those seeking infertility treatment”
Sorry marco, but the world needs people like you and me aswell as the interlectual elite.
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Oh dear Marco – one can only suggest you reread what you have put ” the carbon cost of have children” before you state that people should have an IQ test!
And what has intelligence got to do with our god given right to reproduce?
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Whilst would make it absolutely clear that I am supportive of this lady’s fight for treatment, I cannot go as far as to support the notion that ‘Every woman has the right to become a mother’.
We have far too many young women in society who choose to become pregnant by feckless, irresponsible men without either giving a thought as to who is going to pay for the child’s upbringing. With ‘rights’ come responsiblities – I despair every time I hear of young women with several children, by multiple fathers, who expect the rest of us to fund their little indulgences.
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Well done for taking this further – we would be in a similar boat if our meds dont work – we will not qualify for further treatment. I find it unfair as there are circumstances which need to be taken into account and not just whether you have or hadnt had children before – you might not have been lucky enough to have contact with the other children…. Good luck girl
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I cannot run at 100 mph. I cannot fly without an aeroplane. I cannot swim underwater.
Nature dictated all these things just as it dictates that some people cannot have children so accept it and get on with it.
The NHS is there to keep us alive and healthy not to grant our every wish in life.
If you want kids – adopt and stop this pathethic bleating.
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Lets be sensible
Yet again people are making comments on things which they know little about.
Adoption is a very long and costly process, if you plan to do international, it takes years and costs in the region of ten thousand pounds upwards. I dont know anyone with this kind of cash.
Adoption in the UK, that is not an easy path to take either – if it was only as simple as can i please adopt a child and getting one then life would be simple.
Adoption in England you can be turned down for many, many reason – in all honestly stupid reasons. Please do some research on the topic before you post ill worded hurtful nonsense.
I really hope you never have to, or anyone close to you has to go through infertility. I can only hope you are sat their in your smugness knowing what it feels like to be a Father / Mother, knowing what it feels like to have your own child.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion – thats called Freedom Of Speech and is a wonderful thing, however i suggest people try and stay away from hurtful comments and using terms such as pathetic – thats how hatred breeds.
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I am saddened by some of the negative comments on here and assume that these people have never known the pain of infertility. Couples have usually been trying for a long time to have a baby before resorting to medical intervention and this in itself can be a heartbreaking process! Personally I am dreading it! It is very invasive and intrusive and devastating when it fails! The answer is not simply to adopt as this is a very long, invasive and heartwrenching process and often the last resort as a woman’s instinct is to want to carry and give birth to their very own child. Not all of us have Madonna’s money either!
I am fortunate that I am entitled to NHS treatment with my current partner but was with a previous partner for 4 years and only recently discovered that if we were still together we would have been ineligible for fertility treatment on the NHS due to him already having 2 children, my ex was in his forties had a grown up son of 19 and a daughter of around 7 whom the mother denied access to but I would have been denied treatment if I was still with that man.
Well done to Janine for having the courage to speak out about the post code lottery of fertilty treatment!
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1. Marco that is so very childish what you have written and completely heartless until you have been through infertility you have no idea what it doe sto you . May i ask how would you feel if you could have no children of your own !!! one thing i know for sure if this was the case you certainly would have thought twice about making such a ridiculous comment !!
2.Lets Be Sensible i ditto the above to you
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I cannot believe how the NHS can deny a woman a child just because her partner has got children with another woman!! Its absolutely appalling! Another womans child does not give the NHS a right to decide that a woman cannot have assisted help in concieving her OWN child just because she has a partner who has already got children!! It’s the same as refusing treatment just because she has a sister or a friend who has already got children. It’s cruel and thoughtless of a womans feelings and cravings just to have a child of her own, infertility is devastating, it causes much more than just the fact of infertility like depression etc. The comments made by Marco & Lets be sensible are cruel & thoughtless too, I take it you can have children of your own or take for granted your fertility or maybe you just cant see the bigger picture of infertility??
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As childish as Marco’s comments may appear he is entitled to his view and we should respect it.
The simple fact is we have always had an NHS system that has limited budgets,we would have loved to have had children, it didn’t happen that’s nature,unfortunately todays society is a very selfish one,it’s all ‘I want this and I want that’. If it came down to paying for a 14yr old to have pioneering cancer treatment or someone to have a baby I’m sorry you’d lose everytime.
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Lucy W: You are a woman after my own heart – unfortunately, perhaps, I am already married!
Helen: If god wanted them to have children then they wouldn’t need IVF.
natz24: Actually I have gone through the same thing but my wife refuses to have IVF and I cant force her to. We are looking to adopt or foster and thankfully our subscription to the adoption magazine ran out because it was so depressing to read.
Shelley: It is invasive and intrusive and that’s why my wife wont do it.
I still don’t see why the taxpayer should fund IVF at all.
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although people are entitled to an opinion there is no need to be down right rude and insulting.
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Marco- does your statement ” if god wanted them to have children then they wouldnt need IVF” also count for people who die of cancer, die of starvation etc? Is that Gods wish that people live a life full of pain, heartache and disease?
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i second what skazkat and helen hav written .
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Helen: Based on the available evidence, what conclusion would you draw?
If its important to you then you might try reading some books by Vikor Frankl.
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I am one that is also in the same situation as Janine and the pain that you go through. If some of the people think so low like Marco, what is the NHS for, why do we contribute? I think if anything our money should not being given to unwilling people that dont work, but they are given a helping hand, ensure they have a roof over their heads and money each fortnight to survive! yet when we pay into the NHS and need help, there is none! My partner has 2 children of his and they are not my responsibilty to upbring nor is it the same feeling i get that he gets at being a parent. Im trying to get pregnant naturally but with PCOS and ENDO it isnt hard. I just hope that Janines voice can be heard on behalf of us who need that kind of help.
Helen Hilton well worded :-)
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marco i think that you have wondered off the point. the comments section should be supportive for janine and not insulting her or anybody else. i dont believe that having a child is down to god, medical advances have made having children a possibility for thousands of people. who are you to say that becasue they cant conceive naturally that they should be denied? maybe if you feel so negative towards this subject then you shouldn’t have read the interview in the first place. also how can you even compare what helen has said about cancer etc to the surviving of the Holocaust.
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Marco?
Does this mean that if your wife would have wanted to have IVF, you would have accepted the help and treatment on the NHS???
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Sorry that should have read:
Marco?
Does this mean that if your wife would have wanted to have IVF, you would NOT have accepted the help and treatment on the NHS???
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skazcat: Surviving cancer can be the greatest suffering in the world when it affects you personally. It’s just as terrible and heartbreaking to go through infertility. Perhaps Janine would also find support in Frankl’s books than in the comments section?
Shelley: Of course I would accept treatment if it was paid for by the NHS/taxpayer but if there was unlimited funding available then we wouldn’t be having this debate!
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Scazcat, these forums are not intended as a group hug, they are there to raise comment, life is full of joy and despair, just because you want something and feel that you deserve it does not mean that you are entitled to it. There are taxpayers out there who would rather see their contributions go to things other than IVF, the procedure was initially started as an experiment now we hear sob story after sob story demanding this and that. I must admit on the scale of things it doesn’t come high on my list, I’d sooner see the money going to cancer research, there are far more sufferers of that than women hoping to give birth.
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I am extremely disgusted with some of the comments, especially those of Marco. What a hypocrite!! You would accept it but then don’t think others should be entitled?! I suffer from infertility and am facing the prospect of having my ovary removed. I also am not entitled to IVF for the same reasons as Janine. I think it is appalling that people are so narrow minded. Infertility is said to be as stressful as actually having cancer. How would you feel about someone who is unable to conceive due to having cancer? If we are going down the route of you shouldn’t have IVF on the NHS, even though its not your fault then people who smoke, drink, take drugs, don’t work and contribute should not be allowed any treatment for any problem they have. Also if their partner has cancer they shouldn’t be treated if they get cancer. The NHS is there for everyone and infertility is an illness which needs addressing. Perhaps these over paid people who run the NHS should take a pay cut and maybe the NHS will be able to cope with all illnesses.
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My husband and I have been in the very same position as Mrs Macallister and her husband, but reversed. It is my husband who has the fertility problem, and I have children from a previous marriage, yet it was my husband who was discriminated against by the NHS who refused to fund treatment to enable him to have a child. It has cost us in the region of £20,000 to have our son, who is now a month old. Unfortunately, we are no longer in the position whereby we could fund any more treatment, so my husband will only ever know the joy of having just one child of his own. We will always be grateful to the advances of modern science for our one beautiful, precious son though.
It is time the NHS dropped this pretense of ‘fair play’ and started treating the person with the fertility issue. We were even refused funding to pay for drugs for my husband which may have increased our chances of success.
I wish the Macallisters the very best of luck, and take my hat off to them for highlighting this discrimination.
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i think the post code lottery is unbelievable everyone deserves the right to be parents.As for people not wanting their tax to pay for ivf well i don’t want to pay for irresponsible people’s abortions.
Marco you really need to think about how hurtfull your comments are “god doesn’t want you to have a baby” is very offensive and shows your ignorance of the subject or is it just arrogance?I truly hope none of you have to go through the sole destroying journey of being unable to concieve naturally.I wish Janine all the luck for the future.
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I have to say that I’m shocked at some of the negative comments on here.
Mrs Macallister is in a very difficult situation. I do not understand why she should be told that she cannot have assistance in IVF just because her husband has children from a previous marriage. I think that it is every woman’s right to have a child.
To those of you who have made negative comments I hope that you really think about how Mrs Macallister is having to go through. She did not want this. Why is it ok for 2 people with no previous children to have IVF, but this woman, who herself has no previous children, is denied that chance.
To those of you who have left negative comments I ask you this…what would you do if you could not have children? Would you fight for every given chance? Or would you just think that it was meant to be?
Mrs Macallister I wish you all the best.
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I can completly understand how Janine feels and sympathise with her situation. It is every persons right to have a child. My husband & I are currently being treated by the shropshire fertility service and cannot fault their service they have been fantastic and hve gone above and beyond all expectations to help us achieve our dream.
Keep pushing for what you want Janine!
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As a woman also undergoing IVF, and one lucky enough to be eligible for NHS funding, I can totally sympathise with Janine and Jason’s story.
It is very unfortunate that there are the few who begrudge other people the right to become parents – not everyone believes in ‘God’ so it is totally irrelevant what ‘he’ wants or what is ‘meant to be’. But, thankfully, for those who cannot conceive naturally, and believe in medical intervention, there’s a damn good treatment that can enable this to happen for many couples.
There are different pots of money in the NHS for different types of treatment. This enables people of all walks of life with all types of illnesses and problems to receive treatment, and I am extremely thankful for this.
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Im sorry but infertility is not an illness. The NHS is already overstretched and if you cant afford to pay for it yourselves then you should go without. Life is hard and the NHS cannot afford to pay for all and sundrys wants. Either self fund or learn to live your life without children. And for the record, yes I have had IVF, four self funded cycles. I would not expect the NHS to pay for my treatment anymore than I would expect them to pay for other peoples. The NHS has to draw the line somewhere does it not?
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Well Anya, I’m glad there are people out there who have the funds to be able to afford the treatment.
I am funded as my circumstances fit the NHS criteria, and if my two funded goes fail then I may just be able to scrape up enough for one self funded cycle.
I am assuming you were not eligible for funding and that’s why you had to pay for your treatment (but please correct me if I’m wrong), so out of interest, would you not have taken NHS funding if it were offered?
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This is so unfair & frustrating, my fiance & are in similar situation only it is myself who has 1 child from a previous relationship. We are having to self fund our 2nd tx of Icsi and our Doc’s would not even help us with the drugs. we all pay Tax & N/Insurance yet it seems depending where you live depends if you recieve help or not, why would one Doc agree to supply prescription for the drugs on NHS for a couple 4 times and our Doc not even once? The system is very unfair. Why is it fine to fund Gastric Bands to very able young people when they have alternative cost free… diet & excecise? We with fertility issues did not ask for this or indeed cause it, we have no other option other than IVF tx. Not every one is in the position to self fund 4 cycles or more if needed!! Janine you are fantastic in raising these very unfair issues publicly and good luck with your appeal.
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LeahJayne, I have been offered IVF twice on the NHS over the years but turned it down both times. I do not agree with IVF on the NHS, simple as that. I was prepared to spend my life childless if needs be rather than abuse an already overstretched NHS. We self funded through saving and by going without holidays and other luxuries. Infertility will not kill you. It is not terminal.
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i think its incredibly brave for janine to write this and go public. nature intended women to have children and sometimes they need a helping hand . this day and age,living has changed and more and more couples are needing treatment .why should she not get her treatment because her husband had two children before he met her ? i think its so unfair that it is judged on that .i want to wish janine lots of luck and i really hope she will get her treatment , she deserves to be a mother ..
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I can totally empathise with Janine, the shropshire woman who is refused treatment. We have been trying to conceive for over 2 years now and were initally told if things didn’t work out I would fit the Gloucestershire criteria for IVF treatment- great! Once I visited the consultant and phoned up the hospital, they told me that we would have to fund the treatment, as like this woman my husband has a child from a previous relationship who he doesn’t see. The reason why we can’t conceive is totally down to me, as I am not ovulating properly and have not responded to clomid.
To Anya’s reply we will have find a way to pay for the treatment, but it will mean that my husband has to work 24/7 to pay for it. Hardly fair when NICE recommended that everyone should be entitled to 3 cycles of treatment. Also we all pay enough in taxes for this kind of treatment. I am one of the lucky ones as my husband and I have well paid jobs so can afford the treatment if we have to, even if it means never moving from our 2 bedroom terrace. So I have to say Anya I strongly disagree with your statement.
Laura
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Gabrielle
I believe it is nothing but discrimination against Janine Macallister, to tell her that she cannot have IVF treatment because her husband has 2 children from his former relationship. Where is common sense?
It is Janine who cannot conceive, it is Janine who is now happyly married to her husband,it is Janine who is desperate to have children with her husband, it is Janine who does live in a home without children, it is about Janine not about children of another women.
What has all this to do with her husband’s children who live with their mother who has custody and control?
I hope the Macallister case could be looked at by people who have children and people who might have been in a similar situation in their lives, I hope.
Good luck Janine, I totally feel with you and your husband (adoptive mother of two).
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