In vitro fertilisation for all?: Society must hear the voices of infertile people

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7425.1226-c

BMJ 2003;327:1226 (22 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7425.1226-c

Letter

In vitro fertilisation for all?

Society must hear the voices of infertile people

The first 100% of the full text of this article appears below.

EDITOR—It is interesting that postcode prescribing isdue to differences in social values rather than ignorance ofthe evidence.¹ The National Institute for Clinical Excellenceguidelines on infertility endorse the cost effectiveness ofin vitro fertilisation, which means that the core problems aboutproviding treatment for infertile couples can now be addressed.²

Most people will use NHS resources to control their reproductionat some time. One in six will need help to conceive, and mostwill have to fund treatment themselves. Society needs to hearthe voices of those who have endured infertility. Let localpolitical accountability be based on the equality of their respectand rights.

Alison P Murdoch, professor of reproductive medicine

Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4EP a.p.murdoch@ncl.ac.uk

Other authors of the original response are Richard Kennedy,Mark Hamilton, Ian Cooke, Neil McClure, Richard Flemming, UmeshAcharya, Elizabeth Lenton, and Gillian Lockwood.

Competing interests: None declared.

Ashcroft RE. In vitro fertilisation for all? BMJ 2003;327: 511-2. (6 September.)[Free Full Text]
National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Fertility: assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems. London: NICE, 2003. (NICE guideline, second draft for consultation.) (www.nice.org.uk/pdf/Fertility_Fullguideline_2ndconsultation.pdf)