A group called Citizens for Life is circulating a petition against embryo freezing in anticipation of a parliamentary discussion on IVF regulation.
Whoever signs wants the law to establish as clearly as possible that human life begins from conception
The petition warns that some MPs want the law to permit the freezing of human embryos despite the existence of technology that allows women’s ova to be frozen instead, a process called vitrification.
While these MPs are after a better success rate, egg freezing offers similar results, the petition says.
“If, in the future, the law allows human embryos to be frozen regularly these will be kept in a freezer so that if IVF fails, they will be used for another try. Up to 30 per cent of frozen embryos die when they are removed from the freezer to be used. Globally, many thousands of embryos remain frozen after IVF treatment,” the petition says.
Signatories are told that by signing the petition they are saying they want the law to exclude embryo freezing from regular IVF treatment.
“You will also be declaring that embryos are human and should not be used as products.... Whoever signs wants the law to establish as clearly as possible that human life begins from conception.”
The petition, its distributors say, will also be presented to Margaret Abela, Kate Gonzi and Michelle Muscat, the wives of President George Abela, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Labour leader Joseph Muscat, respectively.
Contacted about the petition, anti-abortion Gift of Life spokesman Paul Vincenti pointed out this was not a joint initiative with his NGO but his group also objected to freezing as part of regular treatment to boost a clinic’s success rate.
“This is deeply unethical,” he said.
Asked what would happen if a woman undergoing IVF treatment fell ill or was involved in an accident and could no longer have the embryo implanted, Mr Vincenti said freezing could be legitimate in such “restrictive cases”.
In such cases, there must be a clear objective to implant these embryos once the woman has recovered and is able to undergo the procedure.
“This is the trouble with IVF treatment. It presents society with contradictory priorities as it is breaking the natural progress of pregnancy,” he said, adding that a number of questions arose if the mother died before the embryos were implanted.
“Who will own this embryo if the mother dies? Can the embryo be adopted in these extraordinary cases? Who decides if the law does not specifically indicate the protocol? What rights does the father have? Would the embryo later on have a right to know who its father and mother are? Will the embryo benefit from the right of inheritance?”
Asked whether freezing was acceptable if more than two embryos were fertilised, Mr Vincenti added that it was “irresponsible” for a clinic to over-produce embryos in light of vitrification.
Mr Vincenti conceded that MPs involved in a parliamentary committee on IVF have acknowledged vitrification as the ideal method.
“The problem remains, however, that we suspect one or more MPs will try to make a case for the fertilisation of more than two embryos and thus insist on embryo freezing for any excess embryos.”
The IVF regulation Bill is still to be presented to Parliament but recently, Justice Minister Chris Said said this would be done in the “coming weeks”.