A total of 411 in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles have been carried out in the last 30 months, 81 of which were carried out at the new IVF clinic at Mater Dei Hospital, according to the health parliamentary secretariat.
In total, 116 viable pregnancies have resulted from these cycles, an overall success rate of 28 per cent, which the health secretariat said compared favourably to similar figures in the UK.
In a statement, the secretariat said it would be evaluating IVF legislation within the context of outcomes of current regulations, new local legislation involving various sectors of the Maltese community and recent judgments of the European Court Of Human Rights.
The Prime Minister indicated last week that a review of the IVF law should include a discussion over whether the service should be extended to gay couples.
The Embryo Protection Act currently limits IVF treatments to people “of the opposite sex who are united in marriage, or who have attained the age of majority and are in a stable relationship with each other”. The de facto ban on gay couples applying for the treatment has drawn criticism from human rights activists since the introduction of the Act three years ago.
The new LGBTIQ action plan for 2015-2017 calls for a review of the constitutionality of the provisions.
The de facto ban on gay couples applying for IVF has drawn criticism since the act appeared three years ago
The health secretariat said yesterday that an Inter-Ministerial IVF Review Working Committee had been set up and included professionals from the ministries responsible for health, justice and civil liberties.
All concerned stakeholders and the general public were invited to submit their contributions and suggestions on the IVF legal framework.
Feedback is to be made either by email on ivf-evaluation@gov.mt or by mail addressed to IVF Legislation Review Working Committee, Ministry for Energy and Health, 15 Palazzo Castellania, Merchants Street, Valletta by August 10.
Requests for meetings with interested organisations will be accepted until August 4.