[Assisted reproductive techniques (ART): the point of view of patients and their organizations]

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) for couples affected by HIV constitutes an important progress for public health. France has been the first country to offer this possibility on a national level, within the public health care system, with the best security and quality standards. This progress is, for one part, a consequence of the collaboration between community-based organizations representing HIV positive persons and their close relations, and pioneer medical teams in this field. This collaboration and this alliance have led to progressively convince the medical community and public health authorities concerned by the fight against aids of the usefulness of this care. Nevertheless, different obstacles have been encountered on the way between theory (decision of the Minister of Health, May 2001, allowing ART for couples affected by HIV), and practice. Medical teams often lack staff in sufficient number. Some doctors have, for reasons they qualify as ethical, refused to take HIV positive women into care. The opening of medical centers in areas where they are missing, particularly the French territories of America, remains a high priority. Last, the legal limits restricting access to ART in France deserve to be questioned. Community-based organizations and medical teams have been able to work as partners, sharing common goals of public health and quality of care. Nevertheless, among health institutions and national agencies in France, the consideration of the point of view of patients and their organizations is far from being a general rule, despite laws which clearly define patients' collective rights. We thank the Fédération française d'étude de la reproduction (FFER) and the journal Gynécologie Obstétrique & Fertilité for giving non-governmental organizations an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to constructive common work.