Win a baby in a new lottery

A controversial new lottery offering 'babies' as their top prize will launch in Britain

Fancy winning the lottery? Forget the Euromillions, the next ticket you could be buying at your local newsagents might win you a baby.

A lottery which will give wannabe parents the chance to win IVF treatment will launch in Britain later this month.

The fertility charity To Hatch has been given a license to launch the controversial game on July 30, with tickets costing £20 each.

The competiton is open to everyone not just couples, and winners could grab themselves £25,000 worth of tailor-made fertility treatments at one of the UK's top clinics, luxury accommodation in a top hotel, before being chauffeur driven to a clinic for treatment.

The game, however, has been branded as degrading as tickets could eventually be sold in newsagents across the country.

'This demeans the whole nature of human reproduction,' says Josephine Quintavalle, of ethical dilemma group Comment on Reproductive Ethics. 'Creation of human life should not be reduced to a public lottery. Instead of this, shouldn't more be spent on research into fertility problems?'

Designed to ease the burden on the NHS, To Hatch insists that the competition will reduce the stress of people who are desperate to conceive.

Around one couple in seven suffers from fertility problems, and 1 per cent of babies born every year in Britain were conceived via IVF.

'We will offer struggling couples a completely tailor made service,' says Camille Strachan, the founder of To Hatch. 'We hope the To Hatch Lottery can ease the burden on the NHS and reduce the stress slightly on some of those who are struggling.'

With the NHS cutting back IVF treatment across the country due to budget restrictions, and the huge expense of the procedure - it costs £5,000 per bout - this could be a viable, affordable option for people struggling to get pregnant.

But should we gambling on life? Should a baby be 'bought' from a local newsagents? Is this the right option for women struggling to conceive? Marie Claire would like to hear your thoughts today by posting your comment below.

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