Manitoba Liberals make election promise to pay for in-vitro fertilization

The Manitoba Liberals promised they would pay forthe first round of in-vitro fertilization for women who experience difficulty getting pregnant, if elected in 2016.

The party says it's keeping modern family structures in mind when making election promises.

The first in vitro treatment would also be forsame-sex couples, singles, surrogates and others who meet challenges while trying to havechildren.

"There is a cost to this, but we strongly feel this is the right thing to do," said Manitoba Liberal leader RanaBokhari, in a release.

That cost is between $4 million and $5 million annually, according to the release.

The program will also be available to women who want to freeze eggs when they are young for a future date, although the woman would be responsible for paying to store the eggs.

But, the party acknowledged there is a downside: The programmay result ina waiting period due to the popularity of in-vitro in Manitoba.The Liberals said itwill cover 400 pregnancy attempts per year.

For Bokhari, the promise is a step in the right direction for options available to women.

"We support a woman's right to choose by not forcing her to choose between career and family," she said.