Without children, there is no society. Thus any society that seeks perpetuity will support the raising of children and in some form provide toward needs such as nutrition, education and medical care. But what about financing the beginning of life when the biological method has misfired? Should artificial conception be funded by society, whether through state provisions or via private health insurance? The issue is under debate in almost every society, including here in Lebanon. The debate revolves around advanced techniques in reproductive medicine, such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and it is charged with ideological, religious, cultural, demographic, financial, medical and bio-ethical aspects. But to bring the issue down to earth, the question that people ask if they desperately want a child is: “Why is IVF not paid for by health insurance?” Private providers, still behind the curve in terms of even maternity leave, are probably not the best place
