The Life Network Foundation expressed their disappointment with the amendments that were approved during the debate on the Embryo Protection Act.
It said in a statement that discussions including meetings held with Health Minister Chris Fearne with organisations that expressed their concerns were ignored completely. This is not in the spirit as suggested by the President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca.
The amendments did not take into consideration the rights of the children that were born from the IVF procedures indicated in the Act, the foundation said.
The freezing of embryos is no longer going to be done in exceptional circumstances and this is not in the interest of the embryo. They further noted that the embryo is not being given the chance to live and even more so putting its life at risk.
The amendments now include the possibility of having five embryos with three being frozen in the initial treatment, which is much worse than the previous proposal which dictated a maximum of three embryos in the first cycle.
The foundation also highlighted the fact that the embryo can remain frozen for a maximum of 20 years until the woman reaches the age of 48. After this time the authority can then place the embryo for adoption.
The donation of an egg or sperm is also against the principles of the foundation as it is not going to be associated with any parental responsibility. Furthermore, children born from these donations are going to be intentionally denied their biological parent or parents. The consequences of this are suffering and confusion for the children when they understand that they were born in this situation because of someone else’s choice.
The concept of single parents, resulting from gamete donation, creates children that have to purposely live without their father or mother. This is not in the interest of the child and it definitely is not socially just that children can be born with their father or mother already being dead, thus making them orphans at birth.
The foundation said that these problems are not solved by the fact that children will be given access to their father or mother’s identity at 18 years of age or in exceptional cases of illness.