UK Government commits to equal fertility rights for people living with HIV
The Government committed today to changing fertility laws that discriminate against people living with HIV. Minister Maria Caulfield MP announced in Parliament that the Government will introduce legislation to allow people living with HIV with undetectable viral load (meaning they cannot pass HIV on) to donate eggs and sperm. This will be particularly impactful for many LGBT+ people living with HIV currently unable to become parents through surrogacy as they are considered ‘donors’.
Deborah Gold, CEO of National AIDS Trust, said: “After years of campaigning on this issue, this morning we heard the Government finally commit in Parliament to change the discriminatory law that stops many LGBT people living with HIV from starting a family. The Government’s decision follows the science and we now urge them to act swiftly on their commitment and table secondary legislation to remove these regulations from the statute book as soon as possible. This change will transform the lives of some people living with HIV who have until this point been barred from the opportunity to become a parent through fertility treatments.”
National AIDS Trust has campaigned for these changes over several years and in the past 18 months hundreds have signed a petition, written to their MPs, and marched at London Pride to support this campaign.