Spain Extends IVF to Single Women, LGBTQ Folks
Certain groups were previously excluded from free assisted reproductive services
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Spain’s Health Minister
Carolina Darias signed
an executive order on
November 5 reversing a
ban on single women and LGBTQ
people from accessing free in vitro
fertilization (IVF) services. Single
women and LGBTQ folks were previously
required to pay for IVF.
The order restores the right of
queer women, transgender people,
and single individuals to receive
in vitro fertilization (IVF), one of
the many forms of free assisted
reproductive health services covered
under the country’s public
health system. This move comes
nearly six years after the conservative
Popular Party government
imposed a discriminatory policy
in 2014 that restricted the treatments
to straight women who have
a partner and individuals with fertility
LGBTQ women, single women, and transgender folks now have access to assisted fertility services in
Spain.
disorders.
During a ceremony announcing
the order, Darias touted the measure
as a step toward ending discrimination
against LGBTQ communities.
The offi cial added that
TWITTER/MINISTERIO DE SANIDAD
the order signifi ed a “restitution of
rights — rights that never should
have been denied.”
For many LGBTQ rights
groups, the anti-LGBTQ ban on
assisted reproductive health care
HEALTH
has been a pain point worth addressing
in the administration, and
advocates are celebrating movement
on the issue.
“At last, assisted reproduction
is included for single women, lesbians,
bisexuals, and transgender
people,” Arcópoli, an LGBTQ social
justice organization in Spain, wrote
in a tweet. “This is the way, to continue
expanding rights and not
leaving anyone out.”
Uge Sangil, president of Spain’s
federation of LGBTQ rights groups,
echoed support for the changes.
“Returning assisted reproductive
techniques for single women,
lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender
people with pregnant capacity
to the National Health System Service
Portfolio has been one of the
red lines we had in the negotiation
of the Trans and LGTBI Law that is
on the way,” Sangil said in a written
statement.
A D V E R T O R I A L��
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