To wonder why Emma Brockes thinks SMC get free fertility treatment in UK?

[SashaPearce]

Reading this article by Emma Brockes, a Guardian journalist who became a SMC: amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/23/going-it-alone-why-chose-single-motherhood. She was living in NYC, but claims she considered:

‘Would I move back to London for free treatment on the NHS (which, to the horror of the rightwing press, now offers fertility services to single women and lesbians)’

This is nonsense isn’t it? I know NHS provision can vary by postcode - and I know they’re actually in the process of changing the law after a lesbian couple brought a lawsuit - but up till now, single women and lesbian couples can’t get free IUI on the NHS as far as I’m aware? They/we can potentially get a round of NHS IVF IF they’ve self-funded 6 rounds of private IUI first.

AIBU to think Emma Brockes’s statement here is incorrect and be surprised the Guardian published it?

Depends on area. We had to self fund IUI before being eligible (ended up self funding IVF as well as the NHS wouldn’t let us stay with our clinic, and after 3 rounds we were advised IVF was the better course of action.

our friends in another area got funded IUI.

this was 8 or 9 years ago. Think it’s still a postcode lottery.

Thanks for your reply - wow, that is a lottery, I’m really sorry there wasn’t better provision in your area. Do you remember which area your friends were living in? I’m assuming you were both lesbian couples rather than SMC?

Yes both lesbian couples.

im not sure exactly which area my friends come under, it’s somewhere near Birmingham but not sure where.

IIRC they still had to pay for donor sperm, so not completely free (whereas a heterosexual couple who needed donor sperm wouldn’t have to pay for it).

It's very recently changed, hasn't it?

(I am slightly judging you for assuming she hadn't done her research ... why wouldn't you google first?)

What is an SMC?

i clicked the link but it didn’t work.

The link won't work for me either, btw. But I've read Brockes' book about TTC and it was quite interesting.

What's SMC?

My friend got it free - single woman, no requirement to go private first. About 5 years ago, midlands area. It’s a postcode lottery but it does happen.

I did google first. The main NHS info page for IUI doesn’t mention single mothers by choice in its eligibility criteria, and implies that same-sex couples will have to do 6 rounds of privately funded IUI before they can access it on the NHS. They do mention that eligibility criteria can vary, but I thought it might be quicker to ask here than to separately google the eligibility criteria of every single local CCG. As it has proved
www.nhs.uk/conditions/artificial-insemination/

(I am slightly judging you for not googling SMC or the Brockes article first, neither are difficult to find, I think the article link was screwed up by the fact that I put a full stop on the end so apologies for that, here is a link that hopefully works)
amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/23/going-it-alone-why-chose-single-motherhood

The rules haven’t changed yet, supposedly the change for lesbian couples will be rolled out from April 2023, but it’s not clear whether they will change for SMC

I have 1 friend who is a single woman and 1 friend in a lesbian couple, both of whom got it funded NHS without self-funding first. 1 about 5 years ago, 1 recently. In Wales but under 2 different health boards.

To be clear, when I mentioned above about the rules changing, I meant the overarching rules across the NHS. It’s interesting to hear that some individual care boards have already been offering free IUI to SMC and lesbian couples

I've googled. I've looked through the article. What is SMC please? Single something?

AHHHH! Single Mother by Choice?

Huh. That's strange, when I googled I got results straight away.

I'm not sure why you think I needed to google SMC? Are you perhaps confusing me with other posters who've asked you to clarify that? I also didn't google Brockes' article because, as I said, I've read her book so already know about her situation.

I get the impression you think I was being snide when I suggested you might have checked the facts before criticising, and I'm sorry about that.