Alternattiva Demokratika said today that the government should stop procrastinating on the IVF issue, and should instead introduce a fair and ethical policy.
Michael Briguglio, AD leader, said the State should not be held hostage by the fundamentalist lobby which resorts to confessional tactics to demonise those who are for a fair and ethical policy on IVF.
"The plain truth is that lack of such policies means that hundreds of persons are being denied the right to be parents or are being forced to resort to procreation methods which have health risks. Malta should once and for all decide whether it is a European country or whether it is to allow fundamentalists dictate its social policies".
Ralph Cassar, AD's general secretary, said the government's procrastination in enacting IVF legislation based on the 'very cautious and mild proposals' made by the parliamentary committee on assisted procreation was irresponsible and was letting vulnerable people be subjected to the irresponsible and dangerous practice of implanting three or more fertilised eggs – with the risk of dangerous multiple pregnancies, putting both the mothers' and babies lives at risk.
"The pressure put on the national health system is also an issue with private clinics off-loading the problems they created on the public health care system. This is not something we are inventing, these are very pertinent and important issues raised by experts who appeared before the parliamentary committee," he said.
He said the freezing of fertilised eggs was necessary to prevent and stop the life-threatening practices currently going on.
"Contrary to reports in the media of comments from people who it seems are not concerned about the risks of multiple pregnancies, IVF is no different from the 'natural' fertilization process – in which fertilised eggs which are not implanted in the womb are lost – without anyone ever realizing. Campaigns which depict and try to peddle the freezing of the minimum necessary number of embryos (fertilized eggs) for safe IVF as 'freezing a live baby' are irresponsible, disrespectful and downright misleading," he said.