Happy Pram Push for IVF Funding day

I woke up early this morning and decided to go out for the Pram Push for IVF rally in Toronto today. I was a little shy to head there on my own, but then decided I should just go anyhow. I eventually struck up conversation with a couple and their friend while we were walking, and felt much better after that. We did a little chanting, lots were holding signs, and there were a few empty prams to go along with the ones with the babies in them. I have no idea what the turnout was, but I'm sure there were a couple hundred there.
The speeches were moving. One was from a woman on the Ontario Infertility panel that's coming out with their recommendations next month - she said the recommendations were good, but couldn't go into more detail than that. Of course, she also said that we'll all have to start lobbying our MPPs to get them to read the thing and do something about it, but the first step is in place. Another speaker was a woman who's been suffering from infertility since she was 21, had her father offer to pay $30000 for her to make him a Granddad in whatever way she wanted at age 25, and then proceeded to adopt internationally. Her daughter must be about 7 or 8 now, and was proudly marching along carrying a sign. She's still trying to conceive though, and can't afford IVF. And (get this) is working as a doula and wants to become a midwife. She's a bigger person than I am, that's for sure - doing a few epidurals is bad enough, but at least it's not my whole career right now!
Let's just hope that this all bears fruit. There was an article about infertility funding in The Star today (http://www.thestar.com/article/629535). I couldn't believe the nasty comments that were posted to it. If you want to get your knickers in a twist, check them out. The comments were closed by the time I got back from the rally, or I'd have spoken out too. I bet half the ignorant buggers smoke and eat crap, and my taxes will be paying for their lung resections and bypass operations in a few years time. Nor did the article mention any of the stuff I talked about during my interview on Infertility, like the crazy shit OHIP will pay for these days. 2 weeks in ICU on a ventilator for a terminal Alzheimer's patient? No problem. 6 years in ICU for someone with no hope of neurologic recovery? No problem. Ventilated for over 4 years in ICU because your lungs are too shot from COPD from smoking? No problem. Paying NICU care for the 28 week quads born to some woman who did IVF in a middle-eastern country, then hopped on a plane and went into labour, only to give birth in Canada as desired to have Canadian citizen children, who are (naturally) all covered by OHIP? No problem. Nor did they mention that IVF is still covered for people with bilaterally blocked tubes, but that the rest of the reasons for IVF were delisted in the 90s (like male factor) because they said the evidence didn't support IVF being the most effective treatment. Well people, the evidence has changed, and it's time the government woke up and smelled the coffee!
That's enough of a rant for today. Back to the studying! 5 days till the IVF post-mortem. I hope I get some answers and a good schedule for the next kick at the can.