Labour MP Alice Macdonald in the UK Parliament has urged the Commons to create a legal right to paid time off for fertility treatment, introducing a Ten Minute Rule Bill that would entitle patients and partners to attend time‑sensitive appointments without using sick leave or annual leave. The proposal, tabled during National Fertility Awareness Week, seeks House permission to introduce the Fertility Treatment (Right to Time Off) Bill and frames the issue as one of fairness and workplace consistency.​

What The Bill Proposes

The Fertility Treatment (Right to Time Off) Bill would establish a statutory right to paid time off work specifically for fertility treatment, aligning workplace entitlements with the medical realities of IVF and related care that often require short‑notice appointments dictated by clinical timing. As a Ten Minute Rule measure, the MP set out the case in a limited window and asked the House to allow the bill’s introduction to begin its parliamentary journey.​

Rationale and Timing

Brought forward in a week dedicated to fertility awareness, the bill is positioned to reduce stigma and remove the reliance on ad hoc employer discretion for attending scans, procedures, and monitoring tied to treatment cycles, which are inherently unpredictable. The measure aims to standardize access across workplaces so employees do not have to choose between medical adherence and job security when scheduling treatment.​ Ms. Macdonald said, "A single cycle of IVF typically involves five to seven appointments, often at short notice, the timing dictated by hormone levels and follicle development that cannot be predicted.

"Throughout, you're pumping your body full of hormones and drugs, which can have an extraordinary physical and emotional toll."

Procedure and Next Steps

Ten Minute Rule Bills allow a backbench MP to make a short speech to seek leave to introduce legislation before any further stages are scheduled, meaning the proposal depends on the House granting permission and subsequent time being found for progress. Without government time or cross‑party facilitation, such bills may not advance swiftly, but the first reading would formally place the measure before Parliament if leave is granted.​

Context in Parliament

The initiative was listed on the Commons agenda among that week’s business, underscoring its status as a private member’s legislative attempt rather than part of the government’s primary programme. Positioning the bill alongside other scheduled items highlights the tactical use of Ten Minute Rule slots to foreground workplace rights questions with a defined policy asking for paid time off for fertility treatment.​

Why Paid Time off Matters

Supporters argue that fertility care requires multiple appointments over a cycle, often at clinically determined times, and that paid leave would ensure adherence to treatment while protecting employees from using unrelated leave categories. By creating a clear entitlement, the bill aims to reduce uncertainty for both employees and employers, replacing case‑by‑case arrangements with a uniform standard.​

Outlook

If leave to introduce is granted, the bill would gain a first reading and a formal title, with any further progress contingent on parliamentary time and support being secured in a crowded legislative calendar. Even if the measure does not proceed rapidly, the move places paid time off for fertility treatment on the Commons agenda, inviting debate on codifying workplace rights in line with modern reproductive care.