The proposed legislation on the protection of embryos must not be weakened as it could have far-reaching consequences, the National Council of Women warned yesterday.

“It is vital that Malta has a strong legislative framework and that all parties reach consensus, including the political parties, as the decision-makers.

This is not an issue that should be politicised,” the NCW said, calling for “responsible and mature decisions”.

It deplored what it termed as the mixed messages being sent to the public via the media.

“It is ethically irresponsible that such a sensitive issue is being dramatised in this manner, playing on people’s emotions and, at the same time, creating confusion,” the NCW said.

It highlighted the importance of a law protecting embryos that also ensured, as much as was humanly possible, that no loopholes would give rise to abuse.

This did not mean that the proposed legislation was ignoring important aspects, such as the dignity of couples genuinely seeking IVF treatment but one could not ignore the fact that there could be abuse “from other sources”, the council said.