Christian doctor denies same sex couple fertility treatment
A Christian GP has been accused by a lesbian couple of denying them fertility treatment because he is not of the opinion same-sex couples should have children. Continue to read….
According to Daily Mail UK,
Lisa Gilligan and Amy Hyde say their doctor delayed a crucial application letter, while a manager told them staff ‘did not believe same-sex couples should have children’. The couple, who have been together for seven years, tried to conceive with a sperm donor for two years before their GP Tom Accialini, of Lambeth Street surgery in Blackburn, Lancashire, sent them to a specialist clinic.
But when tests showed they needed treatment, he did not send off their application for funding, they said. Couples have three months from the time they are referred to get funding approved – and all letters must be signed by a GP.
Lisa Gilligan, left, and Amy Hyde, right, have been a couple for the past seven years
Miss Gilligan, 30, said: ‘I kept ringing and ringing but no one would tell me anything. I rang the site manager, Mary Piper. At first, I was told the letter was on the doctor’s desk . . . but then she said they couldn’t do it. She said they were a Christian practice and . . . don’t believe same-sex couples should have children.’
Cornerstone Practice, of which Lambeth Street is part, has apologised and agreed to send the letter, more than two months after the couple say it was given to Dr Accialini. They have complained to the NHS. Miss Gilligan said the delay was ‘heartbreaking’, adding: ‘We are just hoping it’s not too late, otherwise we’ll have to go through this whole process again.’
Miss Hyde, also 30, said: ‘Why, if it was against their Christian beliefs for us to have children, would they refer us for tests?’ Cornerstone Practice’s website states it has ‘a Christian foundation’ but ‘will not discriminate against anyone because of gender, sexuality, sexual preference, religion, race or age’.
NHS Lancashire said it was investigating, adding: ‘If a doctor is unable or unwilling to act for personal ethical reasons, he or she has a duty to ensure a patient can access another opinion.’ Katie Stanton of Cornerstone said it could not comment due to patient confidentiality.
Source: Daily Mail UK