I wrote the following to someone in the media - someone who I don't know, but I thought may be sympathetic based on her writings. She had the following reply:
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What a wonderful idea for me to write about this. I absolutely will....
I wish you all the very best. I have several friends who are over 40 and trying with IVF and I agree, it?s heart-breaking. Sending you hope!
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I'm thrilled. I don't want to put her on the spot in case this doesn't work out, but I'll look for her piece and let you know!
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Here's my letter:
I am a married, 42 year old, future mother (I hope) who reads your weekend column regularly. I usually share your viewpoint, and, more importantly, always find your pieces interesting and entertaining - a perfect combination. The reason for this email is to see if you would write a weekend piece (or blog) about what it would mean if the government decides to eliminate the coverage of IVF from Medicare and/or not allow the Medicare Safety Net to apply to IVF treatments. These issues are on the table now, and have been written about here: [provided some links] - these contain links to the relevant articles and more facts about the issue in general.

This issue is so important to so many, and I think is not really understood by those who haven't had fertility issues themselves or been close friends or relatives with someone who shared their IVF journey - it's a very personal issue to most. For me, I feel kicked in the stomach whenever I read something like "IVF shouldn't be covered for women over 40". I could not agree more that waiting until your 40 to try to get pregnant is not ideal - and if you ask any woman over 40, they will tell you that they wish that their life had worked out so that they were trying when they were in their 30's. But life doesn't always work out in accordance with the ideal plan.

I am trying at 40+ because I didn't meet my partner until I was 36, going on 37 - and that was meet - it was a long courtship period due to the fact that we lived in different countries, and before having one of us uproot their entire life and leave their family, we wanted to make sure our relationship was right. Do I wish I had found the right person earlier? Absolutely - but I did not. While I was waiting, I worked - worked very hard, as did my husband, and we are fortunate to be successful. Did we pick a career over family, thinking only of success and money - absolutely not. But while waiting for the right person, we forged ahead in our separate careers. And during this time, we paid taxes - some might say an obscene amount of taxes. We have never been and will never be eligible for any government assistance program - no baby bonus, no family tax benefit, etc. I haven't begrudged this - there are people who need this help. However, now the government may take away the one thing we are currently eligible - Medicare assistance with IVF. This is unfair. We each could have had children with the wrong person earlier on - divorcing and having single parent families, relying much more on government assistance. We did not take this path and have no regrets about not taking it. I want to have at least one child with my husband; I want to give my parents and his parents a grandchild; I want to be a mother and experience the joys, excitement, frustrations, sadness and all of the other wonderful things you write about each week.

Please write about this in your column. My perspective on this issue is only one ? there are many more contained in the links above.

Thank you

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