Letter to Committee 27 Sept 2008
Dear Sir or Madam
I am writing to you as you are part of the Committee that will be discussing extending the time that embryos and gametes will be kept (for host surrogacy).
I am part of a group called *a little wish* which was formed in 2002, initially as a support group for couples who have experienced a Post Pregnancy Hysterectomy. As a community we have expanded over the years and currently have members dealing with a variety of infertility issues. Surrogacy is the way forward for many of our members and we offer them support through this experience. *a little wish*s commitment, aims, objectives and care for our members is genuine. We feel as an organisation that we fill a gap in what is provided by other established Surrogacy support groups.
Since we were informed of the short time that embryos may be stored for host surrogacy *a little wish* is, and has been since 2006, proactive in trying to change the storage time for embryos destined for host surrogacy.
We know that extending the embryo storage from 5 to 10 years has been discussed and agreed upon however this time limit is not reasonable, logical or necessary. We feel that the embryos and gametes should be kept until the intended mother is 55, the same as for those who can carry their own child.
As I hope you are aware by now, there are very few surrogates and so those needing their help need more time.
Sometimes people have their eggs/embryos stored before cancer treatment. The time it takes to be treated, be clear of the disease, and then have the help of a surrogate to have children (why should we be limited to one?) can easily take more than ten years. To be able to store egg/embryos people must find money as there is NO help on the NHS. They must then raise money for their surrogacy journey, which after paying for clinic fees, the HFEA fees and a surrogate’s expenses can easily be over £10,000 (closer to £20,000 if a family member is not their surrogate). . Due to this financial pressure why should people who have been through cancer be limited to 10 years. Sometimes people discover they have cancer at 17 or 19 years of age. If they/their family are able to pay for their IVF to store their eggs/embryos, why should they be limited to finding a husband (as you cannot undertake surrogacy if you are single) and having all your children by the age of 27 or 29?
Many people find they are in this position as a result of a post pregnancy hysterectomy. The youngest person that has had this procedure done to them (and there are about 1500 a year in this country alone!) is 17. Due to the damage that a hysterectomy does to the ovaries, people are on a time limit to undertake IVF and store their eggs/embryos.
*a little wish* has been dealing with post pregnancy hysterectomy for nearly a decade. We know that a high percentage of marriages break (or unmarried couples split up) after this operation. The main reasons are that the husband is ‘unable to cope’ with what the operation has done to his wife. He is also not prepared to spend thousands of pounds to have more children, when he can find a new wife and have them for free. It is NOT as easy for the wife to continue with her life. The wife needs to be able to afford the time and money for IVF, she then has to find a new husband and undergo IVF and host surrogacy within ten years.
We have found with regard to finding a new husband and being offered help by a surrogate, that people who have had cancer have a higher chance of success within a limited time than those given a post pregnancy hysterectomy. Another reason why it is SO important for the age to be increased until age 55 in line with those that do not have so many of these problems to overcome.
My husband and I are one of the few that are still together and my husband has undertaken IVF with me. After 6 ½ years of hoping for help from a surrogate, one came forward to assist us. If I had not had my organs taken we would have had many children. We now have two living children, however our family is NOT complete and we know like others we need more time. We may not be offered help again by a surrogate, however we should be able to have the door held open for us, until we are ready to close it.
There are SO many processes, thoughts, feelings and emotions involved with infertility that having time constraints added in is not helpful, reasonable or humane. Many infertile and fertile people who support us have also stated that it is not reasonable that the fertile, who have no experience of the pain that we must deal with on a day to day basis, force these rules onto the infertile.
We have created an online petition for people to sign (location details can be found on our website). We are hoping for more signatures, however as we are not as ‘interesting’ as hybrid embryos, coverage by the media has been more difficult.
*a little wish* has been given conflicting information about the legislation / committee meetings and the process that these changes are following. We would appreciate inclusion to know the process and outcomes as this involves our children-to-be and those of our members.
We hope that you will support our request when the committee next discusses the extension.
If you wish to discuss any aspects of *a little wish* or have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Yours faithfully
(signed)
To …
Mr. Tom Clarke, (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) (Lab) Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer
Mr. Roger Gale (Thanet North) (Con) Dr. Ian Gibson, (Norwich, North) (Lab)
Dr. Evan Harris, (Oxford, West and Abingdon) (LD) Mr. Jim Hood (Lanark and Hamilton East) (Lab)
Dr. Brian Iddon, (Bolton, South-East) (Lab) Helen Jones, (Warrington, North) (Lab)
Robert Key, (Salisbury) (Con) Steve McCabe, (Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury)
Chris McCafferty, (Calder Valley) (Lab) Laura Moffatt, (Crawley) (Lab)
Julie Morgan, (Cardiff, North) (Lab) Mike Penning, (Hemel Hempstead) (Con)
Dawn Primarolo, (Minister of State, Department of Health) Dr. John Pugh, (Southport) (LD)
Mark Simmonds, (Boston and Skegness) (Con) Mr. Gary Streeter, (South-West Devon) (Con)
Dr. Desmond Turner, (Brighton, Kemptown) (Lab) Jeremy Wright, (Rugby and Kenilworth) (Con)