James Devine Chartered: Reflecting on the Recent Exchange on ITV’s Loose Women About IVF Treatment
James Devine Chartered, Senior Partner and Head of Health Consulting at Korn Ferry, shared on LinkedIn:
“It is National Fertility Awareness Week, and I’ve been reflecting on the recent exchange on ITV’s Loose Women about IVF treatment.
For me, there are two important points worth making.
Firstly, we have to be able to listen to, understand and respect views that are different from our own.
We won’t always agree. People bring different beliefs, values and life experiences to these conversations. We should be able to disagree without dismissing or disrespecting one another.
Secondly, we must never lose sight of the people and families behind the debate.
For many people, IVF comes after years of trying to conceive, heartbreaking disappointment, loss, difficult medical conversations and enormous emotional and, for some, financial strain. It can feel like their last hope of becoming a parent.
For others, including many same-sex couples, assisted reproduction offers a route to parenthood that might otherwise not be possible.
The circumstances may be different, but the hopes, emotions, sacrifices and desire to build a family are no less significant.
Whether someone is navigating infertility or exploring the options available to them as a same-sex couple, we shouldn’t underestimate just how personal, complex and emotional that journey can be.
We don’t always know what someone has been through to become a parent, or what they are going through in the hope of becoming one.
Everyone is entitled to their own views, but I think we also have a responsibility to consider the impact our words can have on others.
Respecting someone’s right to hold a different opinion doesn’t mean we should forget the humanity of those affected by it. Equally, respecting those affected doesn’t mean we should dismiss or shout over someone who holds a different view or perspective.
This feels particularly important as we work to create more inclusive workplaces, where our policies and practices recognise the many different journeys people take to build a family.
Whether through fertility treatment, surrogacy, adoption or other routes to parenthood, inclusion starts with understanding and respecting experiences that may be different from our own
I also recognise that questions about the cost of IVF to the NHS, and how we prioritise limited public resources, are legitimate and important. Having spent much of my career working in the NHS, I understand the difficult choices that have to be made, but we should be able to have those conversations without losing sight of the people whose lives are directly affected, or dismissing those who raise a different perspective.”
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