After years of fighting for equal treatment in IVF, social media personalities Megan and Whitney Bacon-Evans have won a key victory against the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
Megan and Whitney Bacon-Evans
The Telegraph reported that the couple branded the board’s policy on fertility treatment “gay tax,” citing unjust requirements that same-sex female couples pay for 12 rounds of IVF before being eligible for NHS assistance. In contrast, heterosexual couples only had to prove two unsuccessful years of trying to conceive.
This scheme left the couple with bills totaling tens of thousands of pounds. The challenge led to Frimley ICB committing to equalize the costs of IVF for all couples.
The government has also pledged to end the “postcode lottery” of IVF services by 2023, giving hope to prospective LGBTQ+ parents.
The Bacon-Evans couple celebrated their victory on Instagram, saying, “This combined with the Government’s commitment to removing the barriers to accessing IVF for same-sex female couples in 2023 leaves us feeling very hopeful for the future of LGBTQ+ families.”
