Thoughts of IVF lotto

[welshbyrd]

I apologies if it has already been done, but what do we all think about it?

I havent read the whole article yet but my initial instincts are that it is appalling. Taking something as serious as fertility issues and running a competition for treatment is sick!

i think its horrid, coz ivf is not to be looked upon lightly. at the end of the day the nhs offer ivf for people who meet the criteria and do not have children so why do people need the false hope of this stuipid latest scheam to get more money out of people.

I think you either agree with IVF or you don't. How people achieve it, through being wealthy, or living in the right NHS postcode, or through a lottery, is irrelevant.

i belive in ivf as i was going to be starting it in september i just dont belive in the way of "winning" ivf. they could be anyone, they could be child abusers or anything!!

they could be anyone, they could be child abusers or anything!!

Are you actually being serious?

I dont believe IVF should be available on the NHS, so if this is a way of keeping costs out of the NHS then why not? Whether winning the treatment or paying for it privately it doesnt matter.

Nightnurse anyone can win it, even the elderly! If over 45 they Will be given donor eggs. Or a surrogate. I believe it is essentially trying to extort money from the desperate with very little chance of winning.

HappyMummyOfOne Why do you not believe IVF should be available on the NHS?

People are entitled to be treated for anything they have wrong with them, after all, it isn't actually free, we do pay for it. And some people could never afford to go private.

SchrodingersMew, I just dont. Whilst its sad that some people cant have children, there is adoption or fostering. Having children is a lifestyle choice.

I'd rather the money went on treating illness not helping people fulfill their wants. Same as cosmetic vanity surgery etc.

My mistake. I meant.

they could be child abusers or anything!!

Are you actually being serious?

HappyMummy But if there is a physical reason they cannot get pregnant then they in a way have an illness or disability so are entitled to treatment as they pay for it through taxes.

Fair enough with cosmetic and vanity treatments as that isn't a physical illness.

Plus, as far as I know it can be extremely hard to adopt and it simply would not be the same as having your own child.

Didnt realise child abusers could only have kids through IVF. You'd think that would discourage them a bit, wouldnt you...?

I agree with Happy actually. The NHS is for treating an Illness, being unable to have a child is not an illness, sorry but it's not.

There are many children out there looking for a home.

I understand what you are saying Schrodingers about a physical reason they cannot get pregnant but some people cannot get pregnant and there is no explanation, it just doesn't happen.

If someone had e.g. cancer and there was a chance the treatment would make them infertile than I get the impression they can arrange to freeze eggs/sperm etc in advance and then I suppose they would use a surrogate but I do think you should have to pay for IVF yourself if you want it.

I do think IVF should be available where there is a physical explanation. However obviously problems more serious would come first.

I was bloody outraged a couple of years ago when a drug addict was given IVF on the NHS though.

The huge problem is that there simply is not enough money in the NHS. I work as a nurse in the nhs and in our trust we are currently facing cuts of £4 million, this is currently being saved by a freeze on all vacancies thus less nurses to treat patients. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be put in this position. Being infertile is not an illness, you will not die or be incapacitated if it's not treated like somebody say with cancer. But then I was lucky enough to have 2 children naturally and maybe I would differently if I needed ivf.

But there many physical reasons why someone would need IVF - I for one have fibroids in my womb, blocked tubes (not due to an infection, they just are/were) and polycystic ovaries.

Adoption and fostering are in no way the same as having your own child.

That being said, having been through a round of NHS funded IVF, I wouldn't want to go through it ever again, even if someone offered it to me or I won it. It was horrible, nothing prepared me for the physical and mental havoc it caused me, my partner and I nearly split up, I was hospitalised and I still haven't even used the 5 embryos we got, the emotional rollercoaster happened long before we came anywhere near the 2WW.

I think its disgusting. Playing with people's emotion's each week, whilst making financial gain from it

Fgs, whats next? lottery jackpot of over expensive cancer pills, that are not given out on nhs?
Perhaps, an ebay auction on someones healthy kidney?
Why not throw in a boob job online bingo
A raffle for a healthy bit of bonemarrow

Where does it end?

I think it is a good idea. If it enables even 5 woman to have the baby they so deperately want who am i to judge how they get there.

The only worry i would have is woman who are desperate becoming consumed by winning it.

I agree with Happy actually. The NHS is for treating an Illness, being unable to have a child is not an illness, sorry but it's not.

it IS an illness, often arising from other issues and often leading to severe depression. its all very easy for people who are fertile to say that IVF is a waste of NHS resources (actually, its very hard to get IVF on the NHS and the criteria is very strict) but this thread has already depressed me beyond belief. there are so many myths and half truths floating around.

adoption is not an option for many people. and what makes you think that if you cant have a child of your own naturally then any one will do.

Im actually shaking, Im so angry. will have to come back to this thread later when I have calmed down

So Happy I presume you didnt use the NHS for your maternity care...because having children is a 'lifestyle choice' and pregnancy is not an illness?

And Cheshire you've adopted children because there are so many children looking for homes that you chose not to have your own?

having read the article in more detail, it still sickens me.

I dont have a problem with IVF on the NHS in theory, but the problem is that their simply isnt enough money for everything. My father for example is the perfect candidate for a treatment that will stop him losing his sight (he is already deaf) but it has been refused as the PCT wont pay for it. Its cost is less than a quarter of the cost of one round of IVF, so I wasnt surprised to hear of friends being refused it when they found out about their infertility.

As for this lottery idea, its horrible that someone will cash in on peoples desperation. I know that the profits will go towards the charity running the lottery but that doesnt make it better. As the OP said, where does it stop? Sadly, the cosmetic surgery bingo is something I could quite easily happening :(

Apart from being pissed off with some of the smug 'we were lucky enough to have children naturally' posts, my view is:

I think it is disgusting and wrong.

However, the unemotional bit thinks it's no different to someone on a very low income buying a scratch card a day in the hope of becoming as rich as some people who are born into wealth.

Have no problem with it, if you are interested then you buy a ticket if not then don't.

it's no different to someone on a very low income buying a scratch card a day in the hope of becoming as rich as some people who are born into wealth.

Thats a very good point. I have my lottery ticket in my purse in the hope that our numbers come up and we wont have to have times like we had recently where every penny counted and I was in tears over it several times. Is that really any different?

But it just feels wrong, to win a baby, or rather the chance to maybe have a baby......I cant explain why, but it does.