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Czech Republic·Democracy·Trade & Economy

Czech government's push to extend IVF access to single women shadows prime minister's fertility clinic empire

Thursday, 6 August 2026, 06:30 · 1 min read

The Czech government is advancing a bill that would allow single women to access in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and other assisted reproduction services, a reform that has exposed a sharp political divide — and fresh conflict-of-interest concerns surrounding Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Through his Hartenberg Fund and FutureLife consortium, Babis directly owns more than 60 fertility clinics across Czechia and abroad, yet unlike his Agrofert agricultural and chemicals conglomerate, these holdings were never placed in a trust fund as required for other assets under Czech conflict-of-interest law. The draft amendment, pushed by Health Minister Adam Vojtech, would remove the legal requirement for a male partner's written consent to access assisted reproduction, though women applying without a partner would receive no public insurance coverage — prompting critics to warn that access could effectively be reserved for wealthier women; coalition partners from the far-right SPD and ultraconservative Motorists for Themselves have voiced strong opposition, while some opposition parties have signalled support despite acknowledging the uncomfortable overlap between the policy and the prime minister's financial interests.

Sources
Balkan InsightIVF for Single Women Raises New Conflict of Interest Questions for Czech PM ↗︎
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