FED: No defacto discrimination in IVF laws says Howard

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2000
FED: No defacto discrimination in IVF laws says Howard

BRISBANE, Aug 22 AAP - The federal government was not discriminating against de facto
couples with proposed amendments to its IVF laws, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

Mr Howard said the government wanted to restrict access to the IVF program to married
and de facto couples.

But the program was administered by the states and some had different interpretations
of de facto couples.

Some states recognised de factos after they had lived together for five years, while
in others it was two years.

"But there is no way any state could put a prohibition on de facto couples (accessing
the IVF program)," Mr Howard told Brisbane radio 4BC.

"It is just an individual matter how each state defines de factos."

Mr Howard said if there was any discrimination in the proposed amendments, yet to be
passed by parliament, it was in favour of children.

"I plead guilty to that," he said.

Previously, Mr Howard has said unmarried women and lesbian couples should not have
access to the IVF program, which is largely taxpayer-funded.

AAP geb/sc/cd

KEYWORD: IVF HOWARD

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