People with HIV living in the UK who have an undetectable viral load will be able to donate eggs and sperm to known recipients under a new change to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act. This important change, that follows the scientific consensus, comes as part of broader changes to improve in-vitro fertilization (IVF) services in the United Kingdom and make sure that equal rights are ensured for people who seek this avenue to become parents.
Thanks to antiretroviral treatments, the viral load of people with HIV can be brought down to the level where it becomes undetectable. Viral reservoirs are still present in the body, so this approach is not a cure – but once the viral load is undetectable, those people cannot pass the virus along. This fact has become known as U=U, undetectable is equal to untransmittable, and it has been recognized in policy across the world.
But this is not the only update to the law – there are to be changes to another aspect that added extra costs, requirements, and time for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Female same-sex couples undergoing shared motherhood IVF treatment (one partner provides the egg and the other carries the embryo) were required to be screened for syphilis and get genetic testing done for a total cost of over £1,000 ($1,270). Couples in a heterosexual relationship did not have this requirement.
“This update to the law opens up the possibility of parenthood to people living with HIV previously excluded from sperm or egg donation, not because of scientific fact but because of lingering misinformation and prejudice. The transformative impact of today’s HIV treatment means that the virus is undetectable in the blood, which means that eggs and sperm can be safely donated to family, friends and known recipients. We are delighted that this unnecessary barrier to starting a family has finally been overcome.” Professor Yvonne Gilleece, Chair of the British HIV Association, said in a statement.
Once the changes are approved, it will be just a matter of months before clinics will align themselves to the new requirements. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the independent regulator for fertility clinics, has promised to provide new guidance to help with the new directives.
“The HFEA welcomes the news that legislation regarding partner donation in relation to reciprocal IVF, and gamete donation from those who have HIV with an undetectable viral load, has now been proposed in Parliament,” Julia Chain, chair of the HFEA, said in a statement. “Fertility treatment is helping more people than ever to create their family, and everyone undergoing fertility treatment should be treated fairly.”
“For known donation from individuals with undetectable HIV, we anticipate that the first clinics will be able to start offering this treatment around three months following a change in the law,” Chain said in another statement.
“If the proposals are accepted, the definition of ‘partner donation’ will change to allow couples undergoing reciprocal IVF to undergo the same screening as heterosexual couples.”
The work of activists has been once again pivotal in raising awareness of the issue and how living with HIV has changed over the years as better treatments have come on the market.
“As an HIV rights organisation, we have worked hard, over many years, to bring about this change, and are delighted that this discriminatory law will be coming to an end. Changing this needless and unfair obstacle is a huge win for both HIV and LGBT+ rights. We share this victory with our colleagues at the British HIV Association (BHIVA), parliamentarians who have spoken out on this injustice, our supporters and, importantly, every person living with HIV who shared their own stories to raise awareness of this issue,” said Deborah Gold, Chief Executive Officer of National AIDS Trust.
“We are absolutely thrilled at the prospect of the many families that can now be formed, and lives that will be brought into being, as a result of this historic change. We are now looking ahead to Parliament approving this secondary legislation, and celebrating the huge difference it will bring to lives and choices of LGBT+ people living with HIV.”
Source Link: People With HIV Can Donate Sperm And Eggs In The UK Under New Law Change