The law allowing access to assisted reproduction for all women has been in force since August 2, 2021. But women who wish to enter the assisted reproductive system are faced with long waiting periods, at the risk of seeing their child plan. compromise.
The so-called bioethics law was published in the Official Journal on August 3, 2021. It allows, among other things, access to Medically Assisted Procreation to all cisgender women. Previously, lesbian couples and single women were in fact excluded from the possibility of medically assisted reproduction in France. The reimbursement of this course is also extended to all women up to 43 years old. Except that despite the political declarations promising access to assisted reproduction for all from September 2021, the decrees have yet to be validated by the Council of State. However, the waiting times to access a PMA course are particularly long. Painful situation for women who cannot afford to go and conceive a child elsewhere than in France, and who have been waiting for this possibility for many years.
A lack of sperm donation to resort to assisted reproduction
Why are the delays so long? Three major problems emerge for those who fight to access medically assisted procreation. First, France lacks donation of gametes, particularly spermatozoa. It was already difficult to meet the demand of couples who could. The wider openness was unfortunately not accompanied by an increase in the number of donations. This lack of available gametes generates waiting times for obtaining very long ones. These deadlines are at the origin of the de facto selection of persons accessing assisted reproduction. The problem is increased for people of color, who are even more lacking in gametes because of the pairing criterion.
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Then, if the process is reimbursed for women up to 43 years by the Health Insurance, women approaching forty years are strongly discouraged by the waiting times for donation of gametes. Finally, an informal selection risks classifying applicants according to their marital status. With a premium for straight couples, then married couples. Single women risk being doubly discriminated against: by their age, for those who first waited to find a possible good person with whom to conceive; and by their solo status, presumed to be less stable.
Normally, the decrees implementing the law opening the assisted reproduction to all should give access to the Centers for the Study and Conservation of Human Eggs and Sperm by order of registration. The snake bites its tail: to be sure, we are still waiting for these famous decrees.