Voting for hope
Yesterday, Parliament was given the opportunity to extend this hope to many others by approving the proposed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act, leading to the establishment of a fair and ethical policy on IVF. As expected, the government was united behind the amendments, with all Labour MPs voting in favour of the Bill whereas on the other side of the chamber, the Opposition appeared to be at odds, claiming that there has been insufficient consultation over the issue and accused the government of rushing the debate.
In the weeks leading up to the final vote, the revamped IVF Bill spawned an intense debate on the ethical and moral issues surrounding the proposed legislation. Several Opposition MPs vociferously opposed all amendments, stating that they were wrong because they undermined the right to life and did not respect the unborn child. The Nationalist Party maintained that if this Bill is approved, doctors will be free to start tinkering with the life of future generations and will put humanity on a slippery slope to a “Frankenstein future.” The Catholic Church also objected to these amendments on several grounds, stating that many embryos are created in the process and yet few survive, warning also that the Bill will place frozen embryos in peril
But while any couple would prefer to conceive a child without the intervention of doctors, that option is not available for infertile couples. Contrary to reports in the media, IVF is no different from the “natural” fertilisation process in which fertilised eggs which are not implanted in the womb are lost without anyone ever realising. Furthermore, campaigns which depict and try to peddle the freezing of the minimum necessary number of embryos for safe IVF as “freezing a live baby” are irresponsible, disrespectful and downright misleading.
The plain truth is that the Opposition is held hostage by the fundamentalist lobby which resorts to confessional tactics to demonise those who stand for a fair and ethical policy on IVF. Failure to widen the scope of the current Embryo Protection Act means that hundreds of people are being denied the right to be parents or are being forced to resort to IVF procedures in other countries with a financial burden that is quite substantial. These are very pertinent and important issues which are effecting our society today. Furthermore, it is the Labour government who has a strong mandate to provide an ethical and legislative framework with clear rules for the welfare of the child, women and couples.
Undoubtedly, the IVF debate is emotionally fraught and politically loaded; however, the Labour government has never shied away from controversy, especially when discussing social issues. Instead, Health Minister Chris Fearne, who piloted the Bill, has opted to ensure that any changes to the law will guarantee that everyone is given their deserving and equal right to bear children. It is very disappointing to see that some members of our society feel that they have the authority to impede this right from being given to those who are silently suffering due to infertility. We should therefore be clear: the issue MPs were facing is the alleviation of the plight of several couples in Malta who seek to have a family of their own. There is no link between extending this right to more individuals who truly long for it and the creation of a future in which reckless scientists toy with the genetic material of men and women. Moreover, it is grossly unfair to use conjecture in order to taint a medical technique that will be carefully controlled and licensed, and which offers so much to afflicted families.
The question facing parliamentarians on yesterday was not whether they would want to use the technique themselves, but whether there are good grounds to prevent afflicted families from doing so. The answer to this point is unequivocal. There is no reasonable ethical justification in stopping families who are affected by the blight of infertility from being given access to further assistance to bear children and start a family of their own.