Having read the article about IVF (May 27), I feel I must put pen to paper and voice my opinion.

Sonia Camilleri was quoted as saying: "Just as nobody has the right to kill a child, nobody has the right to have a baby at all costs".

This statement upsets me by no small measure. I must first and foremost declare that I am fervently against abortion, however I cannot understand how anyone can compare the consensus against abortion with the enthusiasm for legislation in favour of IVF. I believe that the intention behind IVF is to give life and that behind abortion is to take it away.

It is very easy for a mother to say that a woman should accept the fact that she cannot have children, when she has had the opportunity to have as many children as she wished for. Some women are not so lucky! I am sure that resorting to IVF is no easy task and one associates with such treatment many tests, injections, surgical interventions, bruising, disappointments, broken hearts, personal tragedy and above all the humiliation of not being able to conceive naturally. Do we need to rub salt into their wounds, adding insult to injury?

I think Ms Camilleri's statement is harsh and discriminatory against people who have problems conceiving. Unlike some of us who seem to get pregnant even by wishing for it, women who find difficulty in getting pregnant, through no fault of theirs, have every right to try any other legitimate method. Ms Camilleri was also quoted as saying that if the unborn child was able to speak for itself, it would probably want to be left alone, asking us whether the natural dangers weren't enough. I must point out that in some cases there would be no baby to say this without IVF treatment.

I totally agree with her statement that IVF costs a lot of money but perhaps there should be control over this aspect of IVF treatment in relation to the exorbitant charges in order to put a stop to people making a fortune out of others' misery. Hence the need to legislate.

Committee chairman Clyde Puli was quoted asking whether Ms Camilleri would be in favour of IVF treatment if no extra embryos were created and no freezing took place. I personally believe this is the way forward if we are to help childless couples and that legislation should follow this direction.

Comparing the wish and desire to have children with being tall and slim is pathetic to say the least and belittles those seeking treatment. I know the joy of carrying a child and I will not be the one to take away that joy from anybody, not today, not ever. Having as many children as we have wished for does not entitle us to decide whether others have the right to try IVF.

Let us work together to help these women and not obstruct their way to fulfilment and happiness.

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