Couples who have to go through the rigmarole of IVF treatment deserve a great deal of sympathy.

Not being able to conceive a child naturally must be a terribly traumatic and testing time for any couple.

However, we find it very difficult to agree with the thoughts of Richard Mackenzie who, with his partner, has been trying to conceive a child for the past six years.

He said having a child is a right, not a privilege. But surely it is the other way round because no one has a God-given right to be a parent.

To think the NHS should fund endless attempts at IVF is misguided.

Primary care trusts across the country draw up different guidelines, hence there is a huge disparity on what is available to whom depending on where they live. But where does the NHS draw the line?

Some cancer drugs are not available on the NHS – and one could make a credible argument that treatments for that evil disease are far more important than funding treatments to enable a couple to conceive.

Infertility is a crying shame, but in itself it is not a disease.