Polish opposition wants state funding for IVF

IVF stands for the life, love and dreams of thousands of Polish women and men, Donald Tusk, the leader of the PO party, said recently. Therefore, he argues that the state should do its best to make IVF possible by funding it. That is reported by Notes from Poland.

The party started a citizen's initiative to reserve about 500 million zlotys (105 million euros) in the national budget for IVF. If more than 100,000 people sign the petition, the Polish Parliament is bound to consider it. According to Notes from Poland, however, the idea is unlikely to gain a majority among the ruling parties.

Even when the Parliament is not bound to accept a proposal from Tusk on IVF, the PO leader promised he would not give up. He is supported by other opposition parties, such as The Left (Lewica).

Pay out of their own pockets

The ruling PiS party cut the state funding for IVF treatments. According to the official statement, it did so for financial reasons. However, it is suspected that religious motives also played a role since the party is connected to the Roman Catholic Church, which opposes IVF.

Following the cut in funding, some Polish municipalities decided to set up their own financial support systems for IVF treatments. Local authorities have paid for them out of their own pockets.

Statistics from the Polish Gynaecological Society show that about 1.5 million Polish couples suffer from infertility. That is about 20 per cent of the share of the population of reproductive age.