The Alliance for Fertility Preservation was founded on the premise that ability to have (biologic) children and the timing of building a family is a basic human right. We recognized that cancer patients often had to sacrifice that right because they had to undergo lifesaving treatment that might leave them sterile or significantly impair their ability to have children in the future. Fortunately, recent scientific breakthroughs have allowed patients to retain their future potential fertility either by freezing their eggs, fertilized eggs with their partner, or pieces of an ovary. As reproductive and cancer health care professionals, we understand that information about and access to fertility preservation is critical to patients and their families so that they might transcend their disease and build a more “normal” life after cancer. The ability to have children and become a parent is a fundamental part of that life. We believe that a cancer diagnosis or treatment should not preclude parenthood.
We recognize that the seismic shifts in our legal landscape that are now occurring threaten access to medical services that cancer patients need in order to protect their future fertility. Minor changes in definitions and wording can be interpreted to make procedures such as IVF increasingly difficult to obtain, and patients’ access to timely, appropriate reproductive care will be severely curtailed. During this uncertain time, we will continue to advocate for patients’ access to these important medical services which protect their reproductive autonomy and future ability to build their families as they desire. We remain committed to assisting patients in finding and fighting for the fertility preservation services they need and deserve.