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Swedish lesbians see red over sperm fee

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Swedish lesbians see red over sperm fee

A lesbian couple in County Östergötland has reported the county council to the Swedish Equality Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen, DO), for making them pay 3,000 kronor ($457) for two inseminations.

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“When looking back we have felt pretty sad over the fact that it looks like this and that we are not seen as important as other couples,” the pair wrote in their report, according to local paper Norrköpings Tidningar.

The couple felt both badly treated and insignificant compared to heterosexual couples, for whom the treatment is free of charge, and have now reported the county council to the watchdog.

The women felt the doctor treating them was both ignorant and tactless, calling one of them the “father-to-be”. They also bristled at being forced to pay 3,000 kronor for two inseminations, which is free for gay women in the neighbouring county.

However, Maria Morell of the county council, is not surprised that they have been reported.

“We’ve been reported before. We’re often vilified for having high fees,” she said to the paper.

Despite the recurring criticism, she doesn’t think that there is enough reason to re-think the county’s policy on insemination for gay women.

“We have identified what we think should be paid for by taxpayers’ money. We think that there should be a medical reason for infertility for the council to pay for treatment and homosexuality is not counted as a disease,” said Morell to the paper.

"It stands to reason that it would be strange if we paid for the insemination of a fertile lesbian woman, it would be like saying she is sick."

She added that if a medical examination showed that a lesbian woman had infertility difficulties, the situation would be different.

“Then she would be treated as any other woman experiencing fertility problems,” said Morell to the paper.

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