In the Observer Section of this weekend's Ottawa Citizen appears an article entitled "Babies for those who can afford them" (Page B7).
The article is written by a couple - one a Ph.D in law and the other a Professor of Law and Medicine. Both apparently destitute and of course childless. I warn you it is a real tear jerker.
The gist of the story is that unlike some other childless couples, the Ph.D and the Professor of Law cannot get their fertility treatments paid for by the taxpayers of Ontario.
They have taken their case to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario because of this blatant discrimination and because - in their own words, the current system is "costing the taxpayer a fortune".
I am so glad to see such conscientious citizens as the Ph.D and Professor of Law worrying about the poor old taxpayer. Be that as it may, I do wonder though how that fits with their wish to see fertility treatments extended to a wider group of people and the costs associated with a human rights complaint.
But I have an even better solution and one that I am sure they themselves would support given again their interest in the welfare of the taxpayer.
Simply speaking, I would cease government funding for all fertilty treatments thereby ending any actual or perceived discrimination as well as the current expenditures devoted to these procedures.
I say this since I believe that government paid for medical treatments should only be done for reasons of health. With health costs consuming about 40% of government budgets and rising way beyond the annual cost of living, we just no longer can afford the extras.
So what is the alternative? Status Quo, Adoption, or Pay for it Themselves.
I am just guessing in this case but I would suspect that the Ph.D and the Professor might just be able find the wherewithal to pay for their owns fertility treatments.
More on Human Rights Tribunals later...
"Galagher"
