Why do I get the distinct feeling that the Children's Commissioner, Sonia Camilleri, is being grossly misunderstood? I followed her presentation online, made before the Social Affairs Committee, and the subsequent barrage of questions. Unsurprisingly, her main focus throughout was the well-being of children and the impact IVF has been shown to have on their present and future development.

Her continued reference was to IVF not being safe, at this stage, from the child's point of view. However, it was the plight of infertile couples desperate to have a child that took centre stage.

As was to be expected, their position and their lobby have been excellently defended and presentations made on their behalf before the Social Affairs Committee. I feel sure that no humane individual could ever fail to empathise with couples in this situation, least of all the Commissioner for Children.

A number of people were also invited to make a presentation to the SAC with the "child rights" viewpoint uppermost in mind. To date there does not seem to be any medical input in response to the concerns the process may have on the child's short-term and long-term health.

During a presentation to the committee in March 2005, I raised similar issues and made reference to a number of recent studies cited in learned journals. However, only presentations from paediatric specialists themselves will help clarify the situation.

There are conflicting studies relating to the impact of IVF on children that cannot responsibly be swept under the carpet. What we would all like is to be reassured that all children born through IVF are always on a par with children born through non-assisted means. This is what I understood as the gist of Mrs Camilleri's message. If she, as the commissioner specifically appointed to safeguard the interests of children both before and after birth, cannot raise these concerns, then who can?

Instead of going off at a tangent perhaps we should all sit down civilly and take stock of the current situation. Perhaps we should ask what kind of information is given to couples who are experiencing infertility problems, not solely relating to their own health but also to the health of the child they so desperately wish to have.

Perhaps we should demand that adequate medical preparation be made prior to the birth and following it for those children born through IVF. The fact that we have no available statistics makes matters even more difficult to examine. It is hardly consoling that the British House of Commons only recently recommended the tracing of such children, in the light of concerns in this field.

In order to bring this central issue to the fore, I can only make a brief reference to other areas, such as those relating to implantation of more than one embryo and the impact of these multiple births on children, which is particularly well documented in Sweden.

A specific mention must also go to the issue of freezing fertilised ova for future use and the effect of such measures on the child, and to the process of selection prior to implantation. All these issues require a deeper analysis from the child's perspective. The Social Affairs Committee will doubtless take them into account when drawing up their final report.

True concern for our children's well-being and development demands a sustained commitment at all stages of their existence. This is only to be expected in a country vociferously in favour of children, both before and after birth.

Malta is rightfully proud of the fact that we have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and place children's rights high on our country's agenda. In legal terminology the ground rule is that children's rights are paramount, which translates into meaning that the best interests of children come first.

THE question is whether or not the "principle of best interests of the child" is real enough to have us listen to what the country's defender of those same rights has to say.

Is IVF in the best interests of the child?

Dr Farrugia is an advocate and senior lecturer in family law and child law at the University of Malta.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.