New UK laws will allow same-sex couples comprised of individuals with non-transmissible HIV to donate sperm or eggs and become parents. The move reflects progress in treating the virus, the treatment of which is now so effective that the risk of transmission can be eliminated. Until now, the only allowance in relation to HIV was for men to donate sperm to female partners. The changes will apply to couples in which one or both partners have an undetectable viral load of HIV.
Campaigners have described the move as “a huge win” for both HIV and LGBT+ rights. Deborah Gold, of the National Aids Trust, hailed the difference that the law change will make for the parents concerned. The alteration is part of wider efforts to enhance IVF access and to promote the equality of rights.
New regulations mean that people with HIV can now donate eggs or sperm to selected recipients, including family, friends, or known recipients. Such donations will be permitted on the basis that the donor has been in receipt of antiretroviral treatment for at least six months, has a sustained undetectable viral load, and that the donor’s HIV diagnosis has been disclosed to the recipient, with the latter person’s consent.
The changes will also eliminate the screening cost which female same-sex couples currently face if they undergo shared motherhood IVF treatment. Minster for Equalities Stuart Andrew has said that the changes will aid attempts to reduce the stigma which is still associated with HIV. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the body responsible for regulating clinics, has said that it will issue guidance to aid clinics in adjusting to the new regulations
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More