WHO urges securing equal access to IVF for same-sex couples
WHO’s new recommendations substantially broaden the concept of infertility and open the door to widespread use of assisted reproduction, including for same-sex couples and transgender individuals.
On November 28, 2025, the World Health Organization released new guidelines on infertility treatment, calling on countries to guarantee equal access to IVF and other reproductive technologies for single people, same-sex couples, and transgender patients.
The organization’s document states that modern conception technologies should be available to anyone who wishes to have a child, framing the issue as one of “equity” and urging governments to revise their regulations so that IVF and related methods are not limited to couples medically diagnosed with infertility.
Critics warn that such an approach places the desires of adults above the well-being of the child. The guidelines discuss the rights and challenges of prospective parents, yet say almost nothing about the child’s interests. Opponents argue that this shift treats the child less as a person welcomed as a gift and more as an object of adult desire.
The WHO also recommends that doctors provide equal assistance to all who seek these technologies, effectively expanding the definition of infertility and presenting assisted reproduction as a standard route to parenthood.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that WHO added abortion to the list of essential medicines, removing all restrictions.
