Couples asking strangers to help pay for fertility treatments

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's the buzz word, 'Crowdfunding', asking strangers to fund your projects, everything from movies to products.

But how far is too far? Some people are gettting strangers to pay for their fertility.

We know fertility treatments cost tens of thousands of dollars.

A lot of couples end up going in debt to have a baby but now, many are asking for help.

"For as long as we've been dating and married we've been imagining a child," said Heather Heil Linsalata.

But for Heather and husband Christopher, having a child is a challenge. As an ovarian cancer survivor, Heather has only one ovary left, and her battle with Crohn's disease meant multiple surgeries, leaving her with scar tissue in her abdomen that makes it impossible to get pregnant naturally.

"You know when you want something so bad it hurts, that's what we're really feeling," she said.

After one unsuccessful round of in vitro fertilization, they want to try again. But this time, to pay that $16,000, they are Crowdfunding, raising money online.

There are multiple web sites promoting the new trend. A quick search of fertility on GoFundMe.com yields 662 campaigns.

"It was amazing the remarks and some of the support we got from people we didn't even know," said Christopher Linsalata.

But getting support from strangers for fertility treatments is raising questions. These were among the comments on the Eyewitness News Facebook page:

Jimmy N Dina: "If I can afford to I would donate for this. It's a horrible feeling to not be able to become a parent".

Sheila Smart: "NO, I'm sorry, but there are so many more important causes to donate to".

We asked medical ethicist Dr. Art Caplan of NYU Langone Medical Center to weigh in.

"We assume someone out there asking for financial help on a website is poor or can't afford it but there's no guarantee that's true," he said.

And he says there's no guarantee where the money will go.

"If they change their mind and say we're not gonna have infertility treatment under this system there's no way to make them, they could spend it on a fancy car," said Dr. Caplan.

Heather and Christopher say they gave up a down payment for a house to pay for their first round of IVF instead, and they add, asking for help is never easy.

"I understand people may feel it's not a livesaving or emergency condition, it's a child. You can adopt, you can be a happy family with just 2 people, but it was something we really had our heart set on," said Heather.

Some Crowdfunding websites have policies that prohibit campaigns for illegal drugs or unapproved medication, but the range of what is allowed is pretty broad.

According to GoFundMe.com: The total value of donations made to people seeking IVF funding in its "Babies, Kids and Family" category worldwide is approximately $1.1 million since its 2010 launch. The amount donated between January and July 2014 is already a third higher than that collected for the entirety of 2013.