With the Maltese having shown a strong preference for civil law to be decided in a secular manner, the new 'Embryo Protection Bill' is rather jarring in its "extreme and conservative" tone, the Malta Humanist Association said.

In an report it said a major concern of the bill was its inherent discrimination “whereby single parents and gay persons are wilfully excluded from the provision of assisted reproductive services, without a valid ethical rationale”.

This, the association said, is clearly in breach of the fundamental right to family and a right to a private life, as stipulated by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.

The association said it was also concerned at Minister Chris Said’s comment excusing the discriminatory favouring of heterosexual couples only, by virtue of “feelings”.

The Malta Humanist Association said it was concerned about the authority that would be regulating eligibility for assisted reproductive technologies.

“This is tantamount to the licensing of parenthood, also in breach of the right to family, where a state-appointed board has the power to deny a person or persons, the ability to procreate, based on an ideological rationale that is shaky at best.”