IVF Australia official sponsor of Sydney Mardi Gras
IVF Australia has been named an official supporter of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival.
The announcement:
IVFAustralia announced today they are an Official Supporter of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2014, and Presenting Partner of Women Say Something.
“The last year has seen a doubling in the number of same sex couples (now 36%) and an increase in single women (now 50%) accessing our donor program in order to create families. IVFAustralia is hoping to raise awareness amongst gay men to consider this altruistic gesture.” said Dr Louise Fay, Fertility Specialist at IVFAustralia.
Michael Rolik, CEO Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, said “each year, we see more LGBTQI families at Mardi Gras, especially at events like our annual Fair Day. It’s fantastic to see members of our community fulfilling their dream of becoming parents, with the support of IVF Australia.”
Steph Sands, Founder and artistic director of Women Say Something, said “Its great to partner with Australia’s no.1 IVF organization. Many LGBTQI women are interested in starting a family, and Women Say Something is proud to associate with a company that helps make this happen.”
Women Say Something, the lead women’s initiative of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, brings together diverse women through regular events. The next event is being held at Sydney Town Hall on February 28th.
The sponsorship builds on previous campaigns from IVF Australia and Pink Media Group to encourage gay men to donate sperm and lesbian women to create families through Australia’s leading IVF organization.
Ben Mulcahy, MD of Pink Media Group, “Its amazing to be measuring campaign success based on the number of lives created!”
*Figures based on IVFAustralia data – Current number of women that are single or in a same sex relationship on the sperm donor waitlist as of January 2014.
Source: Pink Media Group press release.
Not 100% about this partnership. Their organisation – this is dating back 4 years or so ago – don’t allow women to use ‘unknown donor’ sperm. You need to know the donor. Kinda exclusive huh? Not all women have the option of finding a donor, nor do they neccessairly want a third parent involved in their family.
This is a very important comment and echoes the thoughts of many women accessing donor sperm. In fact, unlike some other clinics, we at IVFAustralia have always been happy to provide women with access to “unknown” donor sperm to have their family. It is for this reason that we work very hard to raise awareness in the community about the need for sperm donors.
It is also important to be aware that in the modern ethical and legal framework of sperm donation, all sperm donors are required to make their identity available for the later access of the children who have been conceived using their donation. However, when and whether your family seeks this information is entirely at the discretion of you and your family.
Hence our ongoing proactive campaign to raise awareness for the need for sperm donors across the community.