Charlène Blais
President of the board of directors
The liberal government adopted the Quebec assisted procreation program in 2010. This program covered part of the costs linked to infertility treatment. Due to this program, between 2010 and 2015, a very high number of children were born, fulfilling the dream of couples that thought it was impossible to start a family.
On November 11th, the liberal government adopted Bill 20 greatly limiting the state’s support given to infertile couples.
The Bill’s language ended free treatments to replace them with tax credits for low income families. « Families with an income lower than 50,000$ per year will receive a tax credit equivalent to 80% of the cost of treatments. Progressively, this tax credit will lower to 20% of the cost of treatment for households making more than 120,000$. However, no tax credit is available for couples that already have a child »
When it is considered that 99% of men and 50% of women living with cystic fibrosis suffer from infertility, it is clear that this law directly affects our community.
Living with Cystic Fibrosis is having to live a certain amount of losses at different steps in our lives, but, with the Quebec assisted procreation program, the dream of starting a family became possible for some of us. With Bill 20, the load of the loss of being able to start a family is added as, for some of our members, the tax credit is not sufficient enough to undertake this step.
Mr. Couillard, at the next election, the CF community will remember this law adopted on Remembrance Day.
Each time I hold my two miracles born through the Quebec assisted procreation program, I think of all the infertile couples that won’t have my luck, and I am frustrated.
