Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1470553
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 JUNE 2022 OPINION 11 ly or in IVF. A human embryo is a human being at an early stage of its development and as such needs to be treated with due respect and dignity. I find it hard to believe that an- yone would be tempted to adopt a "genetically abnormal embryo" unless s/he claims sainthood now. The fact is, not a single one of the 388 frozen "normal" embryos had been adopted. Prenatal Genetic Testing (PGT-M) does raise ethical dilem- mas that cannot be brushed aside with nonchalance. However, one would expect arguments to have a moral grounding of sorts, irrespec- tive of what stand each of our MPs will take. Government is trying to give an answer for at least nine conditions, which are listed as severe, acute genetic diseases and in many cases lead to death. The Embryo Protec- tion Authority has the right to in- crease this list. All of them except for Huntington's Disease tend to appear shortly after birth. In the most severe cases, the baby lives for a few weeks or months under heavy medical treatment before it dies. Polar Body Testing (PBT), pro- posed as an alternative to PGT-M, offers the possibility of detecting an abnormal number of chromo- somes as well as maternal single gene diseases. I do believe that the status quo is discriminatory against parents who happen to have a family histo- ry of genetic disorders and govern- ment must act now. Neither Polar Body Testing (PBT) nor Pre-implantation Ge- netic Testing (PGT-M) can offer comprehensive answers - at least partial answers. The government, following the strong mandate for its electoral programme, is proving that it is serious. Instead of the usual words and studies, this week it moved to legislate and amend the IVF laws to increase the birth of new healthy babies. In fact, over 419 "miracle babies" were born between 2013 and 2021. That means more than 400 new lives, which brought so much joy to their parents and grandparents. A key development will allow pre-implantation genet- ic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) in cases that have a fam- ily history of serious genetic disor- ders. Fr Peter's position Fr Peter Serracino Inglott was an excellent professor of philosophy, taught generations of priests, re- ligious and students how to think and reflect. I consider him one of the brightest minds in the local church. As Rector of the Univer- sity, he was a visionary of inter- national repute. His vision of life stimulated the Nationalist Party to reinvent itself to conform to its calling – to serve all, not to stag- nate in an evolving world of bio- ethics. For those who know him, he still is able to make us reflect on what he says. He had a Beautiful Mind. Moreover, he was humble. Ap- proachable. Helpful. His contribution when testifying in front of the Parliament's Social Affairs Committee on 7th Feb- ruary 2005, (17 years ago), high- lighted that embryo freezing was not equivalent to killing. Those in 'the bubble' tend to ignore Fr Peter's elaborate explanation. Fr Peter provides an enlightened po- sition for lay politicians who have qualms about IVF, embryo freez- ing, genetic testing and embryo research. Lawmakers must strike a balance between the rights of parents and the rights of the embryo. A glance at the implications of our Con- stitution and freedom of religion opens a dialogue that we do not often enter into. The Maltese Constitution and free- dom of religion Article 2 of the Constitution of Malta stipulates that: "(1) The reli- gion of Malta is the Roman Catho- lic Apostolic Religion. (2) The authorities of the Roman Catho- lic Apostolic Church have the duty and the right to teach which principles are right and which are wrong". The freedom of the Maltese ec- clesiastical authorities is constitu- tionally guaranteed to teach all that appertains to the Catholic religion. The Constitution makes a socio- logical point: the religion of Malta is the Roman Catholic religion. If the sociological religious reality of the Maltese changes so, does the new Constitution change? This does not imply that Malta is a con- fessional state, like Iran. The number of Maltese citizens who belong to different religions increase exponentially, especially Muslims. Respect for their beliefs, even if against the position of the Catholic Church, has to be fo- mented. Faith supports the right to choose. Religious liberty for people of all faiths is protected under the Mal- tese Constitution. I found the article 'Abortion Bans Violate Religious Liberty' (The Guardian, June 2022) challenging. The article not only had implica- tions for n the US and abortion debates currently going on there, but also challenges the principles involved in constitutional rights, freedom of religion and the rights of individuals to follow their own conscience and religious milieu. The reality involved goes beyond abortion. In Judaism, abortion is usually seen as permissible and even re- quired in cases where the patient's life is at risk. In Islam, scholars contend that abortion is allowed for the first 120 days, after which it's seen as a civil – not a criminal – issue, and it's permitted at any time when the health of the mother is in danger. As Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, scholar-in-residence at the Na- tional Council of Jewish Women, put it: "There are very serious religious liberty questions here… If you ban abortion, when my religious tradi- tion tells me that I am a) permitted and b) possibly required to access abortion care, you are limiting my free exercise of religion." I do understand that the IVF amendments are not intended to open the door for abortion. How- ever, the challenge remains. More- over, this article opens the door to seek a balance. When people live in a bubble long enough, even the truth sounds like a lie.