Paris: France’s lower house of parliament is set to approve a law on Tuesday that would allow single women and lesbians to have medically assisted reproduction for the first time.
Final vote on comprehensive bioethics law presented by French President Emmanuel long sign on english vowelof the government, is much awaited by LGBT Rights groups, which have pushed for a fertility measure since France legalized same-sex marriage in 2013.
The new law will expand access to fertility treatments such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization.IVF), currently reserved only for infertile heterosexual couples.
In France, fertility treatments are free – and once the law is passed it will also cover gay couples and single women.
Health Minister Olivier Veran said French officials were getting ready to introduce the new law as soon as possible, allowing the first child to be conceived by the end of the year.
The vote marks the end of a long, two-year debate in parliament. conservative majority in managing committee Repeatedly rejected the measure, but the lower house of parliament, where Macron’s centrist party holds a majority, has the final say. The National Assembly has already approved the draft bill thrice and is on course to accept it later on Tuesday.
French LGBT rights groups lobbied for the measure after same-sex marriage was legalized under the then president of France francois holland, after months of mass protests by conservative and Catholic groups.
“Finally,” said Inter-LGBT Association spokesman Matthew Gatipone, while welcoming the “long-awaited progress.”
“We are satisfied that this is happening … but it has been a painful birth,” he said, expressing dismay that it took so long for the legislation to reach its final vote.
Gatipone said it has been tough for French women who have had to delay their plans to have a child for years, and others who have had to pay expensive fees to move abroad where procedures are available, such as that Spain and Belgium.
The new law does not address France’s ban on surrogacy arrangements in which a woman gives birth to a child for someone else.
Final vote on comprehensive bioethics law presented by French President Emmanuel long sign on english vowelof the government, is much awaited by LGBT Rights groups, which have pushed for a fertility measure since France legalized same-sex marriage in 2013.
The new law will expand access to fertility treatments such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization.IVF), currently reserved only for infertile heterosexual couples.
In France, fertility treatments are free – and once the law is passed it will also cover gay couples and single women.
Health Minister Olivier Veran said French officials were getting ready to introduce the new law as soon as possible, allowing the first child to be conceived by the end of the year.
The vote marks the end of a long, two-year debate in parliament. conservative majority in managing committee Repeatedly rejected the measure, but the lower house of parliament, where Macron’s centrist party holds a majority, has the final say. The National Assembly has already approved the draft bill thrice and is on course to accept it later on Tuesday.
French LGBT rights groups lobbied for the measure after same-sex marriage was legalized under the then president of France francois holland, after months of mass protests by conservative and Catholic groups.
“Finally,” said Inter-LGBT Association spokesman Matthew Gatipone, while welcoming the “long-awaited progress.”
“We are satisfied that this is happening … but it has been a painful birth,” he said, expressing dismay that it took so long for the legislation to reach its final vote.
Gatipone said it has been tough for French women who have had to delay their plans to have a child for years, and others who have had to pay expensive fees to move abroad where procedures are available, such as that Spain and Belgium.
The new law does not address France’s ban on surrogacy arrangements in which a woman gives birth to a child for someone else.
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