The Public Health system of Andalucia, Spain, will allow fertility treatments on single mothers. The Junta has confirmed that women will be able to receive this type of treatments regardless of their marital status or sexual orientation.

Maria Jesus Montero, the Public Health system advisor, said that this has not yet been regulated in any other community in spain and that the demand is so high that they are trying to satisfy it. Every year, about five hundred single women request the treatment and, up to now, the ones that were not in a relationship or with a partner could not be assisted. The only ones accepted were women with fertility problems.

Current Spanish law 14/2006 indicates that women over 18 and in working conditions can have free fertility treatments no matter their sexual orientation or if they are in a relationship or not. The problem is that the communities are not obliged to give treatment, based on the fact that several single women that request the treatments are actually fertile and do not have any health issues regarding their conceiving capacities.

Montero said that they will make sure that women who have no fertility issues but are not in a relationship can be assisted in treatments, and that they will guarantee flexibility of health centres, the way they do it in the Reina Sofia clinic in Cordoba, that is currently assisting single women with fertility treatments without conditions. For Montero, it is unfair that women are treated or not depending on which doctor or clinic assists them, when they should equally assist any woman that is over eighteen and in conditions to work.

According to Pilar Hernández Peces, vicepresident of the Madres Solteras por Elección association, this is a big step forward regarding this issue. She said that “we know these treatments are made in several public hospitals, but there is little general knowledge about it and, in the end, is all up to the doctors.” The waiting times are also very long, which discourages women from wanting to have babies.

Via | ElPais