Aggregated News

It was a promise on a truly motherhood issue. In the spring of 2014, the Ontario Liberals, fighting to hold on to power in a minority government, pledged to fund one cycle of in vitro fertilization.

Eighteen months later, couples in Ontario struggling with infertility are still waiting to find out when and how that financial help will be delivered, knowing that every month that passes reduces their odds of becoming parents.

An expert panel, assembled after the Liberals were returned to power with a majority, has finished its report, but the government has yet to say when it will make public its plans, which are expected to be in place by the end of the year. In the meantime, couples are weighing the odds, with some deciding to spend tens of thousands on IVF rather than risk a delay. Others are taking their chances, trusting that the government will make good on its commitment before it’s too late for them.

Fertility experts and advocates outside Ontario also are watching, hoping that whatever measures are introduced might serve as a...