France Legalizes IVF For Lesbians And Single Women. This Is A Major Win For The LGBTQ Community!
The fight for LGBTQ+ rights has been a painfully long one. From fighting for acceptance and equality in society to demanding rights to same-sex marriage, the journey sure hasn’t been easy. But there is no denying that things are changing and that too for the better. The battle isn’t over yet, but there are steps being taken by governments around the world for the betterment of LGBTQ+ groups. The most recent step is an announcement by the French government. On Tuesday, the lower house of France’s parliament legalized the law that will allow single women and lesbians to access medically assisted reproduction, like IVF.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s government had presented this wide bioethics law and 326 votes for the law ensured the passing of the law against the 115 votes that opposed it. The approval of the law by the voters puts an end to a two-year-long ongoing debate in the French parliament. And even though the majority of the Senate were conservative and kept denying the proposal, the lower house of the parliament, that majorly consisted of Macron’s centrist party, had the final say.
This law was being pushed by LGBTQ rights groups since the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2013. It will also allow single women and lesbians to get access to fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and artificial insemination, which were only allowed to heterosexual couples until Tuesday. Furthermore, the law also makes the free fertility treatment available in France accessible to lesbians and single women who cannot afford to go to places like Spain and Belgium where such treatments are available.
What is even more impressive is that Health Minister Olivier Veran is ensuring that the French authorities implement the law as soon as possible in order to conceive the first batch of children by the end of the year.
Also Read: Ridhi Dogra Talks About The Plight Of The LGBTQ Community: “No One Should Have To Fight For Their Rights”
The incident reminds me of the time when mass protests were held by Catholic and conservative groups to revoke the law that allowed same-sex marriage, passed under the governance of then-President of France, Francois Hollande. When asked about the legalization of the law that allows access to medically assisted reproduction, Matthieu Gatipon, the spokesperson for the Inter-LGBT association felt relieved and replied, “Finally… a long-awaited progress.”
“We are satisfied that this is getting done … but this has been a painful birth,” Gatipon added. The frustration of the decision taking so long in that statement is as clear as day. And even though the law doesn’t address France’s ban on surrogacy in the country, it still is a welcome success.
The fight has been long and hard for women and LGBTQ members across France. But the final verdict being in their favour has been an immense relief. And the passing of the law brings hope to LGBTQ communities across the world that they can hope for situations to improve for them too. They deserve a win. They deserve basic human rights that are guaranteed for heterosexual couples and individuals. And it is good to see that governments have started recognizing this and taking steps to ensure that.
