The parliamentary committee which recommended embryo freezing to prevent dangerous multiple births is willing to revise its position if an alternative system mentioned by Health Minister Joseph Cassar is viable.
A spokesman for Dr Cassar said on Sunday the minister was “against” embryo freezing and pointed out there was a more ethical alternative: oocyte vitrification (freezing of unfertilised premature eggs), which would not involve freezing or disposing of already fertilised embryos.
But while prepared to revise his stand, Nationalist MP Jean-Pierre Farrugia, whose committee proposed embryo freezing as the most viable option to regulate IVF, appeared sceptical about the process. “Until last September this was very experimental. Some IVF experts say this is a breakthrough and others say it is a joke. If it is viable, it makes the whole issue much easier,” he said.
Dr Farrugia has been campaigning for embryo freezing together with Nationalist MP Frans Agius and Labour MP Michael Farrugia, arguing the system in place was leading to too many embryos being implanted into women, causing multiple births that are creating birth complications.
“But when the committee explored this (oocyte vitrification) issue we only found pilot studies and patients under trial,” he said.
Dr Farrugia has written to the chairman of the consultative committee on bioethics, Michael Asciak, inviting him to provide Parliament with information about the success rate of pregnancies using ova vitrification.
Dr Farrugia was reacting to comments Dr Asciak gave to PBS news where he cited several countries which used the system.
“If developments occurred in this regard since the parliamentary committee ended its work, the committee will be more than happy to revise its position on embryo freezing,” Dr Farrugia wrote to Dr Asciak.
Dr Asciak said when contacted that, while still in its “infancy”, oocyte vitrification was having very favourable results and several countries were offering it commercially.
He gave the example of Manchester, which had been offering the service since last summer. Dr Asciak said some studies had shown a 43.7 per cent success rate but pointed out there were also other alternatives to embryo freezing to reduce multiple births.