BC NDP leader David Eby today announced that coverage of the first round of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment will begin in just over six months.

"If you want to have a child or if you aren't ready to have a child, everyone deserves the choice to make their own decisions about when to start or grow their family," said BC NDP leader David Eby. "You shouldn’t have to borrow or spend tens of thousands of dollars to access IVF to have a child. It’s a matter of fairness for all families. Similarly, you shouldn’t have to turn down access to birth control because you can’t afford it. That's why we're taking action to make reproductive choice real in this province."

IVF is part of the BC NDP's plan to support and protect reproductive choices. This includes providing prescription birth control for free, which has since been accessed by hundreds of thousands of people, and saving them money. And it is providing universal, no-cost access to Mifegymiso, the abortion pill, removing the cost barrier and ensuring that everyone can access this safe, legal and available option if they need it.

Coverage for the first round of IVF treatment will begin in April 2025 as the next step in the BC NDP's plan to protect women's reproductive freedom and their ability to choose.

"I’m extremely grateful David Eby believes that no matter what your family looks like, you should have support in trying to have a child," said Desiree Cabecinha, who is preparing to begin IVF to start a family with her partner Teri. "John Rustad, on the other hand, spends a lot of time dividing people, undermining the diversity of British Columbians, and spreading weird and harmful conspiracy theories. That’s not what will help us thrive, and those kinds of politics have no place here."

The right to reproductive freedom is currently under attack in the United States, with many warning that these hard-fought rights can be chipped away on this side of the border. The access to reproductive choice depends on the provincial government's willingness to fund and deliver abortion services.

David Eby pointed to John Rustad’s hand-picked candidates calling Canada a “death worshipping society” for supporting legal access to abortion, and another saying that parents who are gay are “groomers” and “perverts”. When caught advancing these candidates, Rustad refused to say he disagreed with them. BC Conservatives are a risk that women and British Columbians can't afford.