B.C. Conservatives announce plan to fund 2 rounds of IVF treatment

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad unveileda reproductive health plan on Friday that includes a pledge to fund two cycles ofin-vitro fertilization (IVF).

It's a doubling of the promise the B.C. NDP government made in its budget earlier this year, in which it committed to one free round of the fertility treatment. That program has $68 million behind it so far, and is slated to launch in April 2025.

Rustad saida B.C. Conservative government would further financeasecond roundof IVFfor those needing it, but has yet to put a dollar figure behind the pledge.

In-vitro fertilization is a medical procedure in which an egg is fertilized by sperm, but outside of the body. It is often used by people facing infertility due to circumstances such as age or reproductive challenges.

Penny Blesch, founder of the non-profitFertility Coalition of B.C.,said she thinks the Conservatives have been listening closely to families whohave dealt with infertility.

Blesch, who consulted with the Ministry of Health on the NDP government's plan, said for manycouples one round of IVF treatment isnot enough.

Still, she has questions about Rustad's campaign promise.

"I would be very interested to know what the budget is," she said. "Is it going to be double what the NDP's is, or is it somehow leveraging other treatments?"

With just days to go before the Oct. 19 election and advance voting already well underway, the Conservatives arethe only party that has yet to release a costed platform.

Rustad said the delay has been deliberate and thattheir plan will likely be released in the next few days.

"Once you release a fullycostedplatform, you've released your entireplatform," the party leadersaid. "And so, we're using this opportunity through the campaign for people to understand who we are, the things that we want to bring."

The Conservatives'IVFpledge is part of their five-point plan on reproductive health, which also includes support for women after pregnancy loss, training for midwives, financial support for adoption and an increase in research on women's health.

In a statement, the B.C. NDP said the Conservatives' reproductive healthplanincludes things the New Democratsarealready doing, including IVFfunding.

"What the plan doesn't include is any mention of access to abortion or contraception," the statement reads.

Last month, Rustadwrote on social media that "under a B.C. Conservative government, access to abortion, contraception and other items will remain exactly as it is now."