Quebec to reimburse gay men for surrogacy costs

For the first time, the Quebec government has allowed a male couple to claim expenses through the province's health insurance board, RAMQ, for using a surrogate mother through in vitro fertilization.

The precedent-setting case involved a claim by Quebec celebrityJol Legendre. Legendreand hishusbandare expectingtwins in July, carried bya surrogate mother through in vitro fertilization.

The case hasalready encouraged other male couplestofile for the treatment.

The government's decisionis notonly the first ofits kindin Quebec, but in Canada.

Until now,RAMQhas only covered the in vitro fertilization procedure for infertile couples, single women and female couples.

"It was discriminatory,"said Jol Legendre, during a radio program he hosts on Rouge FM."We are the first [male] couple to have a child via RAMQ."

After being refused by RAMQ several times, Legendre said he andhis husband sought helpfrom their MNA,Jean-Franois Lise.

"He contacted his colleague, the Minister of Health Rjean Hbert. A week later, his political aide contacted us to tell us everything was accessible,and now gay coupleswill be able to have children, said Legendre.

Hberttold MichaelFinnerty, host ofCBC Radio'sDaybreak,that althoughLegendre and his husband are the first male couple to be reimbursed by RAMQ, it was always technically possible.

"The law is really vague. Everything is covered according to the law,"Hbertsaid.

Guidelines from the province's health commissioner are expectedin May, he said.

"I'm looking forward to this new report, and I expect and I hope that thenew minister of health will act on this issue," he said, referring to Quebec's new Liberal health minister, Gatan Barrette.

Hbertsaid other legal issues can complicate the process.

For instance, there cannot be a contract between the surrogate motherand the fathers potentially complicating adoptionand it is illegal to pay a woman to be a surrogate.

• Paid surrogacy driven underground in Canada: CBC report

More applications

In Legendre's case, afriend of the coupleagreed to carry their child.

The woman was willing to be a surrogate, but not an egg donor, soMontreals OVOclinic had eggs sent from the United States for the couple.

The medical director at the OVOfertility clinic who handled the case, Franois Bissonnette, saidLegendre and hishusband were "like many other patients."

He said he has already seen several similar cases and the number of applications is growing.

"The publicity surrounding this event is likely to generate interest and give others something to think about, said Bissonnette.