Canadian Infertility Awareness Week Turns the Spotlight on Assisted Reproduction in Canada

TORONTO, ONTARIO, April 22, 2019 (Newswire.com) - 1 in 6 Canadian couples of childbearing age experience fertility challenges, a number that has almost doubled since the 1980s. This year on April 22 to 27 it is Infertility Awareness Week in Canada, and Fertility Advisors is hoping it will turn the spotlight to the issues surrounding current third party reproduction legislation in Canada and encourage couples to educate themselves on reproductive health and family planning. 

In 2017, Fertility Advisors began lobbying the Canadian government to decriminalize the payment of surrogacy and gamete donation with Liberal MP Anthony Housefather. They were also joined by numerous fertility lawyers, physicians, agencies, surrogates, egg donors, and parents through surrogacy, as well as other members of parliament in support of amending the Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHRA).

Surrogacy and gamete donation in Canada is legal, but providing compensation beyond expenses is prohibited. Intended parents can face up to 10 years in prison and $500, 000 in fines. The regulations under the AHRA are often confusing and contradictory, which has caused many hopeful Canadian parents to seek surrogacy and gamete donation services in other jurisdictions such as the United States.

Their hope is to see that any Canadian who needs a surrogate, egg donor or sperm donor to create or expand their family can do so without fear of prosecution. 

It is important for couples trying to conceive to educate themselves on their reproductive health and fertility options. One in six Canadians struggle with infertility, with 15 per cent of the population looking to alternative means of reproduction to build their family. And that figure doesn’t include those who are unable to conceive children because of sexual orientation, genetic diseases, gynecological issues, loss of fertility due to cancer — the list goes on. The demand for surrogates is increasing, not decreasing, and it’s in everyone’s best interest for Canada to introduce clarity into our laws as soon as possible. 

Source: Fertility Advisors