Cade Lucas
Victoria’s new container deposit scheme is designed to reduce litter by encouraging people to exchange empty drink containers for a 10c refund.
It’s hardly lucrative, but still handy, providing loose change that can be donated to charity, given to kids as pocket money or saved up for a trip to the movies, a birthday present or to pay for IVF treatm…sorry what?
Who on earth is so desperate to have a kid that they’d pay for IVF treatment using refunds from empty bottles and cans?
Tarneit couple Megan Baker and Amber Ryan, that’s who.
Megan and Amber have been in a same sex relationship for almost two years and want to start a family, something that for lesbian couples is far more complicated than for most others.
“IVF is our only option and it’s extremely expensive” said Megan who added that wanting to carry and give birth to their own child meant adoption and surrogacy weren’t options.
With IVF costing roughly $10,000, Megan and Amber were brainstorming how they could come up with the money when the CDS launched in November last year.
“We had been saving, putting all of our spare money aside, but it was taking so long and when the CDS started we thought that’s a good way to make cash,” said Megan who quickly realised that it wasn’t such a good way to make the type of cash she and Amber need.
They enlisted help instead.
“We talked to local businesses to see if they’d donate cans and bottles to us and we got Grilled and Schnitz at Werribee Plaza and Point Cook on board,” she said.
“We go and pick up their cans and bottles every day and go and recycle them.”
But even with this support, Megan and Amber are still well short of $10,000, which is only enough for one IVF cycle anyway.
“It can take anywhere between one and infinity,” said Megan of the amount of cycles sometimes needed for IVF treatment to be successful, something which can take a physical and mental toll on patients as well as a financial one.
As Megan explained, having to fund multiple IVF cycles is another area where lesbian couples are disadvantaged.
“There is a Medicare rebate but that’s only if you’re found to have fertility issues,” she said, adding that for same sex couples with no fertility issues, but needing IVF out of biological necessity, “there is no recognition or consideration.”
Undeterred, the couple have started a gofundme to help them fund their first (and they hope, only) IVF cycle which Megan is hoping to begin sometime this year.
“I’m in my 40’s, I don’t have much time,” said Megan explaining why she was going first.
If unsuccessful, it’ll then be Amber’s turn, with the couple committed to doing as much fundraising to afford as many IVF cycles as needed to finally have a child.
“We wanna start a family,” said Megan.
“You’ve gotta make some sacrifices to get what you want.”
To donate visit: shorturl.at/egxLV
