The Bishop of Gozo has urged those who seek assisted procreation and those who offer such services to 'give a soul' to science.

Mgr Mario Grech said during a homily that science could be useful in assisted procreation only as long as certain values were respected.

His comments were issued by the Gozo Curia today, coincidentally on the 19th birthday of Malta's first IVF baby (see: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20091213/local/maltas-first-test-tube-baby-turns-18 ). Parliament yesterday also set up a committee to draft rules on assisted procreation.

Mgr Grech said that science was sometimes used in a way that destroyed many lives even while it was creating a new one. This was wrong and not all scientific developments were ethically acceptable.

"Science is without a soul and it is the technical people and those who seek their help for assisted procreation who have a duty to give a soul to science," Mgr Grech said.

He also spoke on abortion and said it was a grievous offence to promote abortion.

It was a major anomaly that the guardians of democracy who guaranteed human and fundamental rights, also denied the right to life.

Nothing could justify that an undesired pregnancy, whether within or outside marriage, was stopped. Neither could abortion be a solution to ensure a pure race.

Those who were responsible for such actions, including mothers, relatives who supported them, and doctors and nurses who gave out their services, should be loved and helped to heal this wound so that they too could start a new phase in favour of life.