Susanna Reid apologised for asking a lesbian couple planning to have a family ‘who will be mum’ on Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain.
Influencers Megan, 34, and Whitney Bacon-Evans, 33, appeared on the breakfast show to discuss suing the NHS over its ‘discriminatory’ fertility policy.
The married couple – who have been together for 13 years – are campaigning to make it easier for same-sex couples to have a family funded through the NHS.
During the interview, Susanna, 50, asked: ‘What are your dreams, what are your hopes? Who wants to be mum? How many children would you like to have?’ Megan replied: ‘Well we both want to be mum..’ leading to the apology.
Susanna quickly said: ‘Sorry, of course you both want to be mum as in, of course you’ll both be mum… I apologise for that insensitivity…’
She then continued: ‘Who wants to carry the baby?’
The couple seemed unoffended by the question and carried on with the interview, where they explained the expenses and hardship they faced trying to have kids.
The pair are social media stars who also featured on TV show Say Yes To The Dress.
Megan and Whitney heavily criticised the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group Frimley’s fertility policy.
They say they are required to undergo 12 rounds of costly private treatment before they can get NHS support.
They estimate the cost of having a child as a female same-sex couple, or as a single woman, could reach £50,000.
A spokesman for NHS Frimley CCG told MailOnline: ‘The fertility services we provide are based on NICE guidance. While we can’t comment on individual cases we will fully engage with any legal proceedings.’
On Sunday, the couple launched the landmark case against their NHS fertility clinic, claiming it discriminates against same-sex couples.
Over the weekend, Megan said they wanted to start a family after being together for 12 years – but they were ‘shocked to discover discrimination in place after embarking on our baby journey’.
To become eligible for IVF treatment, patients must prove they are infertile. Heterosexual couples can qualify after trying to conceive naturally for two years.
But their NHS clinical commissioning group, Frimley, requires female same-sex couples to self-fund 12 intra-uterine insemination treatments – which involve inserting sperm into a woman’s womb – costing around £30,000 or more.
And CCGs in England are accused of a postcode lottery as the number of private insemination treatments required varies from three to 12 before they offer the same help given to heterosexual couples.
Northern Ireland requires four, while Scotland and Wales impose no additional costs.
Now Megan and Whitney have launched a £10,000 fundraiser to cover their legal fees.
Lawyers will today apply for a judicial review on behalf of the couple who are from Windsor in Berkshire.
They allege discrimination under the Equality Act and European Convention on Human Rights, in what could become a major test of NHS England’s treatment of LGBT+ families. If permission is granted, the case could be heard in January.
The couple, who featured on the BBC’s Britain’s Relationship Secrets documentary, have so far spent £8,000 on donor sperm and mandatory pre-insemination tests.
Campaigners claimed the NHS’s policies penalise LGBT+ individuals, forcing many into debt or dangerous, unregulated online deals with men, risking sexual assault, disease and custody battles, The Guardian reported.
It comes after on Monday GMB hosts Susanna and Martin Lewis couldn’t hold back their laughter during a segment about passing wind.
