United Kingdom - October 2023
Government removes barriers to access to IVF for same-sex couples
The government scrapped in vitro fertilisation (IVF) legislation, improving equality for people living with HIV and same-sex couples when trying to conceive. As a result, discriminatory requirements to pay for costly screenings for infectious diseases (such as for hepatitis B or rubella) before accessing IVF, applicable only to same-sex couples, have been lifted. In addition, people with non-transmissible HIV (individuals with an undetectable viral load) will become eligible for fertility treatment, following years of campaigning and advocacy by HIV rights charity National AIDS Trust. The decision is expected to take effect before the end of 2023.
Sources: The Guardian, Department of Health and Social Care, The Independent, PinkNews, National AIDS Trust, UK Parliament
First anti-SLAPP measures become law, applicable to economic crime
Economic crime legislation containing new measures targeting strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) received royal assent on 26 October, becoming the first example of anti-SLAPP legislation in the UK. The law gives judges new powers, via an early dismissal process, to reject claims before trial if they are deemed to be an abuse of process or perceived as attempting to silence people speaking out about economic crime. The anti-SLAPP provisions are limited to economic crime only and campaigners including the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition are pushing for further legislation to safeguard freedom of expression in broader areas. The changes are expected to enter into force in early 2024.
Sources: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, UK Parliament, The Guardian (1), The Guardian (2), UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, European Federation of Journalists
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