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. 2010 Winter;38(4):832-9.
doi: 10.1111/j.1748-720X.2010.00536.x.

Insuring against infertility: expanding state infertility mandates to include fertility preservation technology for cancer patients

Daniel Basco  1 , Lisa Campo-Engelstein, Sarah Rodriguez
Affiliations

Insuring against infertility: expanding state infertility mandates to include fertility preservation technology for cancer patients

Daniel Basco et al. J Law Med Ethics. 2010 Winter.

Abstract

In this paper, we recommend expanding infertility insurance mandates to people who may become infertile because of cancer treatments. Such an expansion would ensure cancer patients can receive fertility preservation technology (FPT) prior to commencing treatment. We base our proposal for extending coverage to cancer patients on the infertility mandate in Massachusetts because it is one of the most inclusive. While we use Massachusetts as a model, our arguments and analysis of possible routes to coverage can be applied to all states' seeking inclusive coverage for infertility treatment. Furthermore, our proposal can also be applied to people with other diseases who may be rendered infertile by treatment.

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References

    1. Melanie, “Survivor Stories,” Fertile Hope website, cited March 26, 2010, available at <http://www.fertilehope.org/find-support/cancer-survivor-stories-details.cfm?SID=680> (last visited October 6, 2010).

    1. American Society for Reproductive Medicine, “Infertility,” available at <http://asrm.org/topics/detail.aspx?id=36> (last visited October 13, 2010). Implicit in most definitions of infertility is that the individual is engaging in heterosexual sex, thereby precluding homosexual individuals from being diagnosed as infertile. Mamo L. Queering Reproduction: Achieving Pregnancy in the Age of Technoscience. Durham, NC: Duke University Press; 2007. at xi, 304. It is also worth noting that many definitions target women’s bodies, not men’s. While it is true that women are the ones who experience pregnancy, focusing only on women’s bodies implies that women alone are responsible for infertility.

    1. Raymond JG. Reproductive Gifts and Gift giving: The Altruistic Woman. Hastings Center Report. 1990;20(no. 6):7–11. - PubMed
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    1. Lee SJ, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology Recommendations on Fertility Preservation in Cancer Patients. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2006;24(no. 18):2917–2931. at. - PubMed

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