Lesbian Couples in France Can Finally Access Fertility Treatment

Lesbian couples and single women will finally be able to access fertility treatment in France, after the French parliament voted through measures ending archaic laws that favoured only heterosexual couples.

Up until now, lesbian couples and single women have had to fly abroad to access fertility treatment such as IVF, egg freezing or using donor sperm.

But after 500 hours of debate and two years of protests around the subject of women’s fertility, a new bill introduced by President Emmanuel Macron’s government is set to change that. 

On Tuesday, France’s National Assembly voted in favour of the new law, with 326 MPs voting in favour and 115 against, including 42 abstentions.

After the bill was passed last night despite initial opposition from far-right parties, Macron tweeted a graphic saying that “medically assisted procreation is now accessible to all French people.”

The new law means women will be able to access treatment by August.

France joins numerous European countries that do not discriminate against single and lesbian women when it comes to fertility treatment, including Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. 

The bill had come under fire from the hard-right Republicans party and the far-right National Rally, around the issue that children would be “deprived of a father,” according to Patrick Hetzel, of the Republicans party.

But LGBTQ charities in France are celebrating the law change. The organisation Inter-LGBT tweeted to express “relief at the end of the #loibioethique [bioethics law] after nearly a decade of mobilisation. This law will make it possible to improve the care of female couples and single women, but also infertile heterosexual couples.”

Leanne MacMillan, director of global programmes at Stonewall, said: “At Stonewall, we’re working towards a world where lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people are free to be themselves, and this includes ensuring LGBTQ+ people are able to access fertility treatment. We welcome this development which will make it easier for lesbians and bi women in France to start a family, and urge lawmakers to create inclusive healthcare services for all LGBTQ+ people.”