More research is needed about the impact of assisted reproductive technology on the well-being of all the parties involved, according to a group of academics and practitioners.
In light of the amendments to the Embryo Protection Act, which will go under the hammer on Tuesday evening, members of the Department of Family Studies researched the implications of the issue from a psychosocial perspective. Their reflection paper, signed by 50 academics and child and family practitioners, has been sent to MPs.
One of the highlighted issues in the group’s paper is that fertility in Malta is below average compared to other European countries.
Research on the causes of infertility in Malta needs to be considered a high priority on our research agenda, they said.
Reflection paper, signed by 50 academics and child and family practitioners, has been sent to MPs
Embryo freezing and giving embryos for adoption are “highly sensitive and complex issues that may further create distress in the couple going through the difficult journey of dealing with infertility and trying so hard to have a child”.
The couple’s distress, the paper adds, might be “further aggravated” by the fact that even if they do agree to give up their embryos for adoption, they have no guarantee that they will be adopted.
Making embryos available for adoption is also a complicated matter for the children themselves.
“These children need to come to terms with the fact that in their parents’ complex journey to have biological children, they decided to increase their probability of becoming fertile by consenting to have multiple embryos and then give up those which were unused for adoption.”
They further noted that anonymous gamete donation was not acceptable, as children had a right to know the identity of their biological parents. Keeping children’s biological parents a secret might be detrimental to their well-being.
In summary, they note that through various research projects, it has emerged that every person who is involved in the assisted reproduction methods covered by the proposed amendments to the Embryo Act faces very complex and challenging life experiences.
Additional research is needed regarding the impact of assisted reproductive technology on the well-being of all the parties involved.
Finally, adoption and fostering should be encouraged and promoted.
“Too many of our children are still being placed in children’s homes without any hope of them going back to their own parents,” the paper says.
Additionally, the World Health Organization and the United Nations General Assembly of 2007 recommended that children aged from zero to five should not be placed in institutions, while the process of deinstitutionalisation needs to be accelerated.