TY  - JOUR
N1  - This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
IS  - 5
VL  - 47
SP  - 986
A1  - Cavaliere, Giulia
A1  - Fletcher, James Rupert
JF  - Science, Technology, & Human Values
SN  - 0162-2439
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1177/01622439211021914
EP  - 1010
AV  - public
Y1  - 2022/09//
TI  - Age-discriminated IVF Access and Evidence-based Ageism: Is There a Better Way?
KW  - fertility
KW  -  reproduction
KW  -  gerontology
KW  -  assisted conception
KW  - 
epidemiology
KW  -  ageing
PB  - SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
ID  - discovery10205239
N2  - Access to state-funded fertility treatments is age-restricted in many countries based on epidemiological evidence showing age-associated fertility decline and aimed at administering scarce resources. In this article, we consider whether age-related restrictions can be considered ageist and what this entails for a normative appraisal of access criteria. We use the UK as a case study due to the state-funded and centrally regulated nature of in vitro fertilization (IVF) provision. We begin by reviewing concepts of ageism and age discrimination in gerontological scholarship and contend that it is analytically useful to differentiate between them when considering age-restricted health services. We then argue that criteria to access IVF could be considered indirectly ageist so far as they rely on an age-related evidence base that manifests ageist categorizations of persons. Lastly, we examine whether there could be more normatively desirable alternatives to devise criteria to access fertility treatment, considering ?lifestyle? as a potential candidate. We conclude, however, that lifestyle-based discrimination is problematic because, unlike age-based discrimination, it risks exacerbating existing socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities.
ER  -