FY2024 4th Regular Meeting “Child Rearing Support from Preconception Ⅲ” (2nd half)

General Questions (excerpts and summaries are provided)

<Question 4>
The only place to confide various concerns is at the Hino City Women’s Consultation of the Peace and Human Rights Division, but can you also provide support for those suffering from infertility treatment?

The Women’s Consultation Service was established in accordance with the Gender Equality Ordinance, and professional counselors, such as certified psychologists, provide consultation on a wide range of issues, including personal problems and relationships with the workplace, family, and partners.

We recognize the importance of a “reproductive health/rights” perspective, as women’s mental and physical conditions, including infertility treatment concerns, are said to have characteristics that vary greatly depending on their age.

Although our counselors do not have expertise in infertility treatment itself, they provide psychological care as counselors and collaborate with specialized institutions as needed. We aim to solve problems by staying close to our counselors and providing ongoing support.

Although various support systems are in place regarding infertility treatment, we found that it is difficult to provide full support, including specialized content.

Those undergoing infertility treatment are often faced with psychological distress and the impact on their marital relationship due to external pressures such as “Are we ready for children yet?” Approximately half of the women undergoing treatment are found to have more than mild depressive symptoms in the early stages of treatment.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is working on mental health care for infertility treatment, but many local governments are limited to online consultations. Some may feel that simply confiding their concerns to a faceless person will not lead to a solution or provide emotional support.

We believe that the current situation is problematic because although counseling and support systems are relatively well established for those who are pregnant, support for women before pregnancy and during infertility treatment has been lacking.

It is important to provide support even before conception, and serious efforts must be made to support infertility in relation to fertility reduction measures.

Taking advantage of the government’s increased subsidy for regional fertility reduction measures, Hino City is seeking to shift from “support for child rearing from the period of conception” to “support for child rearing from before conception” and establish a counseling system with psychological counselors and public health nurses.

<Question 5>
Does Hino City consider supporting mental health care during infertility treatment?

Regarding mental health care initiatives for people undergoing infertility treatment, we have a system in place where public health nurses first provide consultation at the Child and Family Support Center and refer them to appropriate specialized institutions and medical facilities.

There are also existing consultation services such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Infertility and Fertility Hotline” and the “Pregnancy and Mental Health Consultation Room” of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Fertility and Fertility Division.

The various problems associated with infertility include marital and family relationships, the physical and mental burden of treatment, the cost of treatment, and balancing work and family life. Considering these circumstances, the city would like to establish a system that not only provides consultation services, but also offers more support by deepening cooperation with existing social resources such as specialized consultation organizations and medical institutions.

Conclusion

This time, I thought of the many parties involved whom I have never met, and I carefully faced this issue with deep concern for the problems that many of them are facing.

In my own activities as a member of the Diet, I myself am subjected to heartless words on a daily basis. This is not something that can be forgiven just because I am a member of the Diet, and there is a dignity that should be protected even if I am a member of the Diet.

However, I believe this is the current situation in Japan.

Instead of being hurt by such heartless words and spending my energy on refuting them, I raised the issue in the assembly because I believe it is my responsibility to protect even one person who is suffering and to bring the voiceless voices to the assembly in order to change the environment.

In addition, infertility treatment is an issue for both men and women. A support system that also takes men into consideration and is gender-neutral is necessary, and we are calling for unbiased policies.

We strongly urge the mayor to ensure that support from the gestational period, in accordance with national policy, does not overlook those undergoing infertility treatment.

Infertility treatment is appropriate for each body, and the government cannot always accomplish the resolution of issues or the support leading up to conception.

However, it is possible to provide support to help people move forward, while helping them to sort out their concerns.

To those of you who are currently anxious about your hearts, let’s work on it together and not worry and suffer alone.