Labour MP Michael Farrugia said it was not acceptable that, while both sides in Parliament had agreed that a free IVF service should be offered by the government, the authorities praised old systems and hindered the possibilities of the process.

Speaking during the adjournment, Dr Farrugia said that, after long years of discussion in Parliament on the issue, no legislation had been introduced even though the Prime Minister promised it by the end of last year.

The government had invested in IVF equipment at Mater Dei Hospital for couples who could not have children in a natural way. The success of the IVF procedure was quite minimal: at best a maximum of 40 per cent, and on average between 20 and 40 per cent.

A family planning department had been opened in Gozo where couples with no success in fertilisation were given advice to use rather outdated systems, such as the temperature method.

The question which should be asked, Dr Farrugia said, was whether a couple had a right to have children.

He said that, if one of the couple would not want to have children, annulment would be granted both from the State and from the Church. Therefore, it was parliamentary responsibility, especially doctor MPs, to give the importance to IVF legislation and see that the government offered the service. At present, IVF was only offered by the private sector.

Dr Farrugia said that the law should let a couple be given advice and offered different IVF systems and how these could be achieved. A couple should have the opportunity to ask for moral and ethical advice from professionals in the field of family planning.

Instead of putting obstacles, the authorities should move to education and legislation. Discussions regarding the cohabitation law and a clear law about the right of the child were important for the IVF legislation.

Concluding, Dr Farrugia said that it was very important to offer better systems of IVF in the best medical practices to the couples who wished to build a family.