More than 500 medical doctors have signed a declaration expressing their opposition to the government’s plan to introduce embryo freezing, insisting that life starts at conception.
The move came just a month after a group of 100 academics from the University of Malta expressed concern about the proposed amendments to the law regulating in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
As the government forges ahead insisting it has an electoral mandate to widen IVF treatments, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced two days ago certain controversial proposals had been watered down. Yet, the revised Bill still contains a provision for the introduction of embryo freezing.
Signed by 524 doctors, including 98 consultants and 100 family doctors, the declaration was presented during a meeting held a few days ago with Mr Fearne.
In a statement, the doctors noted that their stand was not against measures intended to help infertile couples but against embryo freezing as a “routine part” of assisted reproduction.
The declaration says that “at fertilisation, a new human life is formed, with a unique and complete genetic identity, distinct from the parents”.
It also makes it very clear that “every human life, once formed, should be allowed to continue its gestational development, without interruption, until birth or natural foetal demise”.
At fertilisation, a new human life is formed
Foetal demise took into account extraordinary circumstances where medical intervention or treatment with the exclusive intent of preserving a mother’s life may indirectly result in the undesired demise of embryonic/ foetal life or an interruption in its gestational development, the doctors pointed out.
In their declaration, the medical professionals, all doctors, affirmed that each embryo was a human life worthy of dignity and protection that deserved the opportunity to achieve its potential.
When making medical decisions, one should consider the best interests of all the parties involved to maintain the ethical practice that honoured the maxim ‘first do no harm’, they noted.
In line with the changes announced by Mr Fearne on Monday, surrogacy will be regulated in a separate Bill and not through a legal notice under the IVF law, as was originally planned.
Moreover, it is being proposed that children born from gamete donation will have the right to know the identity of the donor when they turn 18 years.
In the first draft, donors would have remained anonymous. However, the government is still intent to introduce embryo freezing despite warnings and fierce criticism from both a medical and ethical perspective.
Couples with frozen embryos will be granted an additional IVF cycle, free of charge, to reduce the possibility that an unused frozen embryo would have to be given for adoption.
In this, case, prospective parents will have to undergo the screening process as in regular adoptions.
Revision ‘confirms Bill was drafted hastily’
The government’s decision to revise its proposed changes to the IVF Bill was testament to the haste with which it had presented the amendments in the first place, the Nationalist Party said on Tuesday.
In a statement by spokesmen Claudio Grech and Stephen Spiteri, the party said it would be going through the revised Bill to determine whether it addressed the concerns raised by the Opposition and civil society.
While adhering to the principle that life started at conception, the PN said it would also strive to support measures assisting infertile couples.
Such a sensitive subject deserved a wide-ranging consultation process and a much broader debate, which must be allowed to take its time, the party continued.
Alternattiva Demokratika welcomed the changes.
“These amendments mean that children born through gamete donation will, on reaching adulthood, have the right to know the identity of the donor,” chairman Carmel Cacopardo said.
That was consonant with decisions by courts in other EU States and common practice internationally, he noted, adding that the amendments balanced the rights of all parties involved.
AD called on the government to ensure that those receiving gamete donation were informed of the full medical history of the donor, especially on possible genetically-transmitted diseases.
“It is important that the person receiving the donation is given all the tools to make an informed decision,” Mr Cacopardo said.
As for the decision to remove the introduction of surrogacy from the IVF Bill, the green party said that this was the result of the government realising that such a measure required deep and comprehensive discussion.