financial help (paying for their parents’ medicine, earning tuition money for siblings) or meeting their parents’ last wishes and caring for them in their old age. « What bothers me most, what I cannot just leave behind, is my mother. In the 21st century, when people fly to Mars, I am here on the planet Earth and cannot get from a point A to a point B to see my parents and take care of them. Such indifference, it’s hideous, not human.” Additionally, the stateless persons interviewed in the study mentioned issues associated with the family of procreation, especially concerning starting a family of their own. Unless they already had a partner or children before they became stateless, they often expressed their wish to start a family, but only if their statelessness and residence situation were to be resolved. This would bring much needed stability into their lives. However, they hardly believed this was possible and rather chose (voluntarily or compelled by circumstances outside their control) to remain single, without a spouse and children. They explained this decision with particular reference to the likely negative impact that their situation would have on the lives of their partners and children as well as their inability to ensure a sufficient living standard for their family. « « « I’m not married, I just do not want to. I do not want my children to be born to find themselves in my situation. In the situation I´ve got from my father. At least one child. If I had lived like a normal person and had normal work and such things, I would want at least one child. (…) But it’s just ... Not now.” I would like to have a family, but it is hard in such a situation. This is my only wish, to have a family.” One interviewed person, who already has a family and lives with his partner and their three-year-old son, has changed his plans to have more children as a result of losing a residence permit, despite the fact that he desired to have a big family. Because he had no documents, he cannot marry the mother of his child, which is why they live together only as partners. 6.6 Health care The unavailability of health care and health insurance was another issue the interviewed stateless persons encountered on daily basis. Those who had a residence permit or were in the asylum procedure mostly had a health insurance in that time. In some cases, however, the only legally available health insurance scheme was private, which does not cover a large range of treatments and has other numerous limitations. The interviewed stateless persons without a valid residence permit were, except for one case, not party to any health insurance scheme. This, together with the absence of a stable income and financial means to pay for treatment, was often mentioned as a reason why the stateless persons avoided seeking medical care, even in cases of urgent need. For the same reasons, psychological or psychiatric assistance was out of reach for the interviewed stateless persons despite its apparent need. The interviewed persons were often stressed and suffered from anxiety, chronic insomnia or even suicidal thoughts. Some persons have also described cases where they have been denied medical care due to being unable to produce any identity document, residence permit or health insurance card. In one case, the police were called when a stateless person went to see a dentist to seek urgent medical intervention. He left before the police arrived, and later tried to treat himself by pulling a tooth out by himself with a wrench, which resulted in a shattered tooth and caused a massive inflammation. UNHCR Czech Republic 43