‘Win a baby’ – the £8IVFrafflefor childless couples

SCOTS couples are being offered the chance to ‘win a baby’ in a controversial competition linked to a foreign fertility clinic.

A round of IVF treatment is being given away in a ‘lottery’ to be held at an event in Edinburgh later this month.

It is hoped the contest will attract infertile couples to a conference advertising the services of a Spanish clinic, based in Barcelona.

Organiser Fertility Focus, which ran a similar publicity stunt three years ago, plans to give away a round of IVF, worth an estimated £4,500. For an entry fee of £8, desperate couples and individuals considering IVF, will hear presentations on nutrition and egg donation, as well as the power of mindfulness, before their names go into a draw.

Yesterday, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland condemned what has been dubbed a ‘raffle prize’ as the latest ‘degradation of the sanctity and dignity of human life’. He added: ‘There are already profound ethical questions about the use of IVF techniques in this country.

‘Many women undergoing fertility treatment already donate some of their eggs in return for subsidised private treatment or, in the case of NHS patients, for an additional cycle of treatment. Reimbursing egg donors up to £750 per cycle is allowed.

‘We have already commodified the process of creating life and turned it into a marketplace. We oppose paying blood donors or organ donors, but see no conflict in fertility donations becoming a financial transaction.’

One in seven couples suffers from fertility problems at some point. Treatment for those who want to try IVF is available on the NHS or privately. However, the NHS has long waiting times and private treatment is expensive, costing from £3,000 per attempt.

Scottish couples also face different waiting times, depending on where they live.

Some overseas clinics offer cheaper and faster treatment, particularly for those who need egg donors, but there are concerns about how facilities in other countries are regulated.

Scottish organisation Fertility Focus offers alternative therapies to boost fertility and has teamed up with the Barcelona clinic, which offers private treatment to couples who are willing to travel abroad.

Event organiser Juliet Le Page, who became one of Scotland’s oldest mothers when she delivered her second child at the age of 50 following IVF, denied ‘trivialising’ the fertility process.

She said: ‘We’ve never called it a raffle prize but it does seem to be getting some people’s backs up. We’ve noticed fliers and posters publicising it are being removed from certain locations. We believe that’s deliberate.

‘I’m not shocked, it’s just very sad. I feel this shows another side of the intolerance we seem to be breeding in society these days. If people aren’t being intolerant towards religion, it’s something else that seems to annoy them.

‘Many Catholic couples go through IVF so this is the pot calling the kettle black. Perhaps a representative of the Catholic Church should come along before it passes judgment.’

The event, Fertility In The 21st Century – Helping You In Your Journey event, takes place on September 30.

‘Profound ethical questions’