# 'Bad parents' may be denied fertility drugs



## Anthony Reid (Jan 1, 2002)

> Men and women could be denied Viagra or ovarian cyst operations, under draconian rules allowing fertility clinics to decide who is fit to be a parent and thus eligible for fertility and sexual health treatments.
> 
> MPs are furious at a new code of practice for fertility clinics, which says that any medical treatment that might result in children - even unintentionally - could be denied if it was not considered to be in any resulting child's interest.


More here:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2586656.ece


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## MrsRedcap (Jan 6, 2006)

Hmmm..What would be actually classed as 'Bad' parents?


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## Caz (Jul 21, 2002)

I'm confused. I thought they were doing away with the whole Welfare of the child thing. This report makes it look like, not only is it here to stay but that they want to extend it to anything even remotely fertility related?

I too would like to know how they work out if someone is going to make a bad parent. People can change a great deal once you add kids into the equation, regardless of what they might have started out like. Unless they train every fertility doctor and gynacologist in the country to become psychology and childcare experts then they're clearly not qualified to judge anyway. 
Besides this the NHS resources are stretched enough without asking all these consultants to spend valuable time assessing their patients mental state and capabilities.

C~x


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## Betty M (Dec 6, 2005)

Until the Act is changed (or rather the new one is in force which def not this year) welfare of the child is a statutory requirement hence the new guidance (which incidentally I cant find anywhere on the HFEA website).  As I understand it the definition of when it needed to be considered was widened to incude unlicensed (in the hfea sense) treatments like IUI/GIFT which is obviously fairer than it was when only IVF parents had to be subjected to this. There apparently is now a presumption that a potential parent is fit unless there is evidence of a serious risk of medical, physical or psychological harm so a case would need to be pretty obvious for someone to be refused treatment. 


Betty


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