CRUEL LAW THAT DEFIES DI’S LEGACY
Fight to end ban on HIV sperm and egg donors
AN AIDS charity championed by Princess Diana is calling for an end to a “cruel” law that stops many people with HIV from getting fertility treatment.
The legislation bans more than 105,000 people living with the virus from donating eggs or sperm, despite scientific studies showing there is no transmission risk.
Mixed-sex couples are allowed treatment like IVF if one or both partners has the virus as they are viewed as consenting adults in a relationship.
But people with HIV cannot be donors to help others such as friends or family members get pregnant.
The law also hits LGBTQ+ people with the virus who have to donate to conceive a biological child.
The National AIDS Trust is now launching a campaign – and petition – to scrap the rule.
Trust chief Deborah Gold said: “It’s cruel and homophobic. It prevents so many people living with HIV from having a family with the help of fertility treatment. There is no place for stigma and outdated science in our laws.
SAFE
“In the 90s, our patron Princess Diana crossed needless barriers that many with HIV were forced behind.
“We must continue to break down the legacy of fear around HIV.”
Around 97% of people diagnosed with HIV in the UK are on effective treatment and have such low levels of the virus, they cannot pass it on.
Dr Tristan Barber, consultant in HIV medicine at London’s Royal Free Hospital said: “Fertility treatment is completely safe for people living with HIV. There is no medical reason for this discriminatory law to exist.
“National AIDS Trust’s challenge is crucial to bring justice to people who simply want to start a family.”
The charity is calling for the law to be overturned on the basis that it’s discriminatory to people with HIV – which is classed as a disability under the Equality Act.
This Morning’s Dr Ranj Singh, who backs the campaign, said: “There have been enormous advances in HIV medicine so this law should be changed.”
Dr Nicola Mackie, a HIV and sexual health consultant at Imperial College NHS Trust, said the ban was a “clear example of the law lagging behind science and causing unnecessary heartache”.
A Department of Health spokesman said: “At this time, the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs who advise the Government do not support a change to legislation.”
It prevents so many with HIV from having a family DEBORAH GOLD AIDS TRUST CHIEF ON LAW
■■Sign the National Aids Trust’s petition against the ban at actionnetwork.org/ forms/demand-fertilityequality-for-people