In a preliminary reaction to reports on the proposed IVF law Michael Briguglio, AD chairperson said, “Free IVF treatment offered by public health service should facilitate matters for prospective parents who are infertile, and not create unnecessary hurdles.

“There should not be discrimination on any grounds for access to this service, and applicants should be offered professional counselling. Hence Government’s fundamentalist proposal to grant access to only one type of family is definitely objectionable.”

AD Secretary General, Ralph Cassar added, “It remains to be seen whether the proposed law is too restrictive, making the procedure too difficult. Putting in rules to safeguard the health of the mother and avoid dangerous multiple pregnancies is important.

“Preventing the creation of unnecessary fertilized eggs is good, but making the procedure too restrictive and depicting the storage of the minimum number of fertilized cells for the procedure to be viable as immoral or bad is over-the-top. What is hardly ever mentioned is that the success rate of IVF closely follows that of conception by natural means – science is not replacing nature in this case, it is just helping it along.”

“Infertile persons who are ready to undergo treatment to be able to raise and love their children should not be put through unnecessary difficulties, AD concluded.”

The Government today published ‘The Embryo Protection Bill.’ The bill bans the freezing of human embryos except in cases of force majeure. It will allow the hyper stimulation of female eggs, two of which will be fertilized for eventual implantation while the rest will be frozen and made available for another cycle if necessary.

All prospective parents will have to be certified by the Agency for the Protection of Embryos and be issued with a certificate stating that they are eligible for IVF treatment.

The law prohibits the donation of gametes, eggs and sperm, parents from choosing the sex of their baby, surrogacy and using embryos for any other reason, such as scientific research or cloning.

The service will be fee from the national health service and will be available to married, opposite sex couples and unmarried couples in a stable relationship.

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