“We won’t back down on IVF,” wrote Claudette Abela Baldacchino, president of Nisa Laburisti (October 15). Writing about infertility and embryo freezing, she showed crass recklessness in talking only about the dignity and rights of women without equally talking about the dignity and rights of early human life… in a petri dish with the potential death of many embryos in the case of IVF and embryo freezing, or in a mother’s womb.
IVF, and its associated embryo freezing, is not the only cure for infertility. There is also the natural approach advocated by many leading nutritionists around the world.
Embryo freezing, as Abela Baldacchino herself attested, implies “stress, pain and suffering” because, as she said, she was there and has done it. It also implies death when embryos are eventually discarded, especially when, as Nisa Laburisti are demanding, more embryos are frozen than the two permitted by the Embryo Protection Law under extraordinary circumstances.
The natural approach implies nothing of the sort. IVF costs thousands of euros. The natural approach advocates changes in lifestyle, diet and the taking of nutritional supplements, costing very little by comparison.
The success rate for IVF is around 25 per cent. The success rate of the natural approach to infertility is 80 per cent.
When interviewed lately, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne said the government was resolved to increase education about the ills of cigarettes and alcohol, instead of using the stick, meaning higher tax. Similarly, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said the government has decided to educate and offer incentives to people to promote the recycling of waste.
Dr Fearne should do the same with infertility. First he should desist from changing the law to allow more embryos to be frozen, because of the probability of more being discarded, and killed, in the process of thawing.
Secondly, he should opt for having more education and counselling by nutritionists and other professionals, as a natural approach to infertility.
Abela Baldacchino and Nisa Laburisti are an integral part of the Labour Party which professes to be pro-life. They are now in government. Can’t they act like the government and promote the natural approach to infertility instead of marching recklessly towards the edge of a cliff?
To help infertile couples have children they could also help strengthen fostering and adoption services and make representations to the government to activate the Healthy Lifestyle Law of 2016. The law establishes an inter-ministerial lifelong approach to a healthy lifestyle, favouring physical education and balanced diet. In article 5.1. (g), the Advisory Council on Healthy Lifestyles, already set up by the law, has the duty to “encourage a lifelong approach, from conception till old age, to physical activity and a healthy lifestyle”.
The Malta Unborn Child Movement, of which I am coordinator, is taking steps to promote and help in the provision of these services to infertile couples.