The National Council of Women has been following developments, particularly in Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee, regarding proposals for legislation on IVF treatment.
The NCW is aware that the public is not adequately informed of the legal, ethical and scientific implications of embryo freezing, due also to the lack of balanced information (often manipulative) in the media.
The council has been searching for scientific initiatives for pro-life alternatives that would not be tantamount to destroying life, and we are sure we are not the only organisation doing so.
With regard to moral objections, although as NCW members we all have our personal positions, we believe that it is the prerogative of the Church authorities to explain and instruct on moral implications. Consequently, at its annual general meeting last January, the NCW approved a resolution on oocyte vitrification (egg preservation) as an alternative to embryo freezing during IVF treatment, also giving background information to sustain the council’s position.
It is a fact that fertility declines with age. A woman’s fertility peaks when she is in her early 20s. Statistics today, however, show that many women are postponing their pregnancies until much later due to a number of reasons. This is contributing to many women having problems in conceiving and looking for help later on in life.
Oocyte vitrification is a method of “freezing” a woman’s eggs as part of the IVF procedure. Cryo-preservation is a process that involves a flash-freezing process of eggs (oocytes) without the formation of ice crystals within the cells. The eggs are extracted, frozen and stored. Later, when the woman is ready to become pregnant, the eggs can be thawed, fertilised and transferred to the uterus as embryos.
This technique can be availed of by women who have certain serious health issues, as well as by women who make particular life choices.
There are a number of justifications on which the NCW based its recommendations.
Oocyte vitrification has achieved the same pregnancy results as using frozen embryos.
It avoids having several excess embryos through the selection of the optimal eggs and the insemination of only a few, avoiding the ethical problems associated with surplus embryos.
Women with fertility problems do not need to be “dangerously” hyper-stimulated several times.
Young cancer patients, undergoing chemotherapy that can destroy their eggs, can get pregnant later in life by having their eggs cryo-preserved.
The preservation of the female egg, instead of the embryo which is considered to be the first cell of a human being, eliminates legal and ethical problems of ownership. The female gamete (oocyte) belongs to the female, as opposed to the embryo, which belongs to both partners.
The ethical, religious and moral issues involved during the process of embryo freezing, which no court is comfortable with when deciding on the matter of frozen embryo ownership, are
eliminated when oocyte vitrification is opted for.
Complex problems due to the negative aspects of embryo freezing of a legal nature result when split couples enter into acrimonious battles about ownership of the embryo.
The NCW would like to put forward the following consider-ations as approved at its latest annual general meeting:
Working protocol: Good results depend on excellent standards, including the training of embryologists and doctors, and the use of top-quality materials to select the best oocytes instead of embryos. Any sort of experimental approach should be avoided and local embryologists and doctors must be well trained in the procedures involved.
Politicians and the public must be educated on fertility issues. Educational campaigns involving the dissemination of information regarding protection of fertility and options to treat infertility, including oocyte vitrification in the IVF technique, are strongly advised.
The education of citizens on how to use and protect their fertility should also focus on how mothers or guardians should look after their daughter’s fertility from a young age, such as taking them for check-ups, proper methods of personal hygiene, etc. This can be supplemented by educational material to be distributed and discussed during PSD lessons in schools.
General practitioners need to be regularly updated on fertility issues, including prevention but also regarding pathologies that cause damage to the human reproductive system.
The NCW calls on the relevant authorities to respect the rights of taxpayers’ moral, legal and ethical objections who will, after all, be paying for future relevant services.